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THE  LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 


THE  COLLECTION  OF 
NORTH  CAROLINIANA 


C917 
B99 


c.2 


UNIVERSITY  OF  N.C.  AT  CHAPEL  HILL 


00037528602 


This  book  may  be  kept  out  one  month  unless  a  recall 
notice  is  sent  to  you.  It  must  be  brought  to  the  North 
Carolina  Collection  (in  Wilson  Library)  for  renewal. 


II    i* 


Form  No.  A-369 
UNCPS/46330/01.2010 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  North  Carolina  at  Chapel  Hill 


http://archive.org/details/westovermanuscribyrd 


Y  /    ^ft^?~'^  L        ?~7 


/ 


THE 


WESTOVER  MANUSCRIPTS: 


CONTAINING 


THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  DIVIDING  LINE 


BETWIXT  VIRGINIA  AND  NORTH  CAROLINA 


A  JOURNEY  TO  THE  LAND  OF  EDEN,  A.  D.  1733; 


A  PROGRESS   TO   THE   MINES. 


WRITTEN  FROM  1728  TO  1736,  AND  NOW  FIRST  PUBLISHED. 


BY  WILLIAM  BYRD, 

OF    WESTOVER. 


PETERSBURG : 
PRINTED  BY  EDMUND  AND  JULIAN  C.  RUFFIN. 


1841. 


Entered,  according  to  act  of  congress,  in  the  year  1841,  by  Edmund  Rdffin,  in  the 
Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Virginia. 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE, 


The  manuscripts  of  Col.  William  Byrd,  of  Westover,  the  father  of  the  last 
proprietor  of  the  same  name,  of  different  dates  from  1728  to  1736,  are  con- 
tained in  a  large  folio  volume  bound  in  parchment,  which  has  been  carefully 
preserved  in  his  family,  until  recently  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  editor.  The 
whole  is  in  the  hand-writing  of  a  copyist,  but  written  evidently  under  the 
immediate  direction  of  its  author,  as  there  are  numerous  corrections,  inter- 
lineations, and  more  considerable  additions,  in  his  own  hand-writing.  The 
book  was  doubtless  copied  exactly  from  the  author's  earliest  draught  on  loose 
sheets,  which  were  afterwards  destroyed,  as  useless.  At  any  rate,  this  old 
volume  is  the  only  copy  in  existence.  The  Historical  Society  of  Virginia 
obtained  the  consent  of  the  proprietor  of  the  manuscripts  to  have  them 
copied,  with  a  view  to  publication.  But  the  operations  of  that  society  ceased 
before  the  publication  had  been  commenced,  and  when  only  one  of  the  seve- 
ral manuscripts  had  been  copied.  It  was  one  of  the  latest  acts  of  the  last 
proprietor,  George  E.  Harrison,  Esq.,  of  Brandon,  to  place  at  our  disposal 
this  highly  valued  work  of  his  distinguished  and  talented  ancestor,  with  per- 
mission to  publish  any  portion,  or  the  whole  of  the  contents,  provided  the 
manuscript  volume  itself  should  be  preserved  uninjured,  and  afterwards  re- 
stored to  the  owner.  The  better  to  secure-  the  latter  object,  the  copy  of  the 
part  made  for  the  use  of  the  Historical  Society,  has  also  been  placed  in  our 
hands  by  the  directors. 

The  manuscripts  offer  abundant  internal  evidence  that  they  were  written 
merely  for  the  amusement  of  the  author,  and  for  the  perusal  of  his  family 
and  friends,  and  not  with  any  view  to  their  being  printed.  This  adds  much 
to  their  other  and  important  value.  For  there  prevails  throughout,  as  in  the 
private  letters  of  an  accomplished  writer,  a  carelessness  in  the  mode  of  ex- 
pression, and  a  manifest  freedom  from  all  restraint,  which  together  serve  to 
render  subjects  pleasing  and  interesting,  that,  however  worthy  of  consider- 
ation, would  be  dry  and  tedious  if  the  writer  had  sought  for  the  applause,  or 
feared  the  censure,  of  the  reading  public.  The  author  was  a  man  "  too 
proud  to  be  vain,"  and  who  neither  cared  for,  nor  thought  of  seeking,  public 
applause  for  his  writings.  The  influence  of  that  first  feeling,  and  its  results, 
naturally  operated  on  his  children  and  later  descendants,  to  deter  them  also 
from  publishing  the  manuscripts ;  and  this  course,  besides  being  in  con- 
formity with  the  writer's  intention,  was  perhaps  deemed  the  more  proper, 
because  of  his  great  freedom  of  expression,  and  of  censure,  often  tinctured 
by  his  strong  "  church  and  state"'  principles  and  prejudices,  and  which  might 
have  given  offence  to  some  of  the  individuals  or  classes  who  were  the  sub- 
jects of  his  free  remarks.  But  at  this  late  time,  there  no  longer  remains,  if 
there  existed  before,  any  reason  for  withholding  these  interesting  writings 
from  the  public.  And  there  is  no  free  expression  of  even  the  prejudiced  and 
erroneous  opinions  of  the  writer,  which,  to  an  intelligent  and  liberal-minded 
reader,  would  now  give  offence.  Col.  Byrd  was  a  true  and  worthy  inheritor 
of  the  opinions  and  feelings  of  the  old  cavaliers  of  Virginia  ;  and  it  is  because 
from  such  a  source,  as  well  as  being  designed  at  first  as  private  and  confi- 
dential, (hat  his  writings  should  be  now  considered. 


jy  PREFACE. 

Col.  William  Byrd  died  where  he  had  long  lived,  at  his  then  beautifully 
decorated  and  princely  mansion,  Westover,  on  the  north  bank  of  James 
river;  and  which  even  at  this  late  day  exhibits  admirable  remains  of  his 
taste,  and  his  magnificent  scale  of  expenditure  for  its  gratification.  His  body 
was  buried  in  the  garden,  and  his  grave  is  covered  by  a  monument  of  white 
marble,  on  which  is  the  following  inscription : 

[on  the  north  side.] 

Here  lieth 

The  Honorable  William  Byrd,  Esq., 

Being  born  to  one  of  the  amplest  fortunes  in  this  country, 

He  was  sent  early  to  England  for  his  education  ; 

Where,  under  the  care  and  direction  of  Sir  Robert  Southwell, 

And  ever  favoured  with  his  particular  instructions, 

He  made  a  happy  proficiency  in  polite  and  various  learning. 

By  the  means  of  the  same  noble  friend, 

He  was  introduced  to  the  acquaintance  of  many  of  the  first  persons  of  that  age 

For  knowledge,  wit,  virtue,  birth,  or  high  station, 

And  particularly  contracted  a  most  intimate  and  bosom  friendship 

With  the  learned  and  illustrious  Charles  Boyle,  Earl  of  Orrery. 

He  was  called  to  the  bar  in  the  Middle  Temple, 

Studied  for  some  time  in  the  Low  Countries, 

Visited  the  court  of  France, 
And  was  chosen  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Society. 

[on  the  south  side.] 

Thus  eminently  fitted  for  the  service  and  ornament  of  his  country, 

He  was  made  receiver  general  of  his  majesty's  revenues  here, 

Was  thrice  appointed  public  agent  to  the  court  and  ministry  of  England, 

And  being  thirty-seven  years  a  member, 

At  last  became  president  of  the  council  of  this  colony. 

To  all  this  were  added  a  great  elegancy  of  taste  and  life, 

The  well-bred  gentleman  and  polite  companion, 

The  splendid  economist  and  prudent  father  of  a  family, 

With  the  constant  enemy  of  all  exorbitant  power, 

And  hearty  friend  to  the  liberties  of  his  country. 

Nat.  Mar.  28,  1674.     Mort.  Aug.  26,  1744.     An.  cetat.  70. 


HISTORY 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE: 


RUN  IN  THE  YEAR  1723. 


Before  I  enter  upon  the  journal  of  the  line  between  "Virginia  and  North 
Carolina,  it  will  be  necessary  to  clear  the  way  to  it,  by  showing  how  the  other 
British  colonies  on  the  Main  have,  one  after  another,  been  carved  out  of 
Virginia,  by  grants  from  his  majesty's  royal  predecessors.  All  that  part  of 
the  northern  American  continent  now  under  the  dominion  of  the  king  of 
Great  Britain,  and  stretching  quite  as  far  as  the  cape  of  Florida,  went  at  first 
under  the  general  name  of  Virginia. 

The  only  distinction,  in  those  early  days,  was,  that  all  the  coast  to  the 
southward  of  Chesapeake  bay  was  called  South  Virginia,  and  all  to  the 
northward  of  it,  North  Virginia. 

The  first  settlement  of  this  fine  country  was  owing  to  that  great  ornament 
of  the  British  nation,  sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who  obtained  a  grant  thereof  from 
queen  Elizabeth  of  ever- glorious  memory,  by  letters  patent,  dated  March 
the  25th,  1584. 

But  whether  that  gentleman  ever  made  a  voyage  thither  himself  is  uncer- 
tain ;  because  those  who  have  favoured  the  public  with  an  account  of  his  life 
mention  nothing  of  it.  However,  thus  much  may  be  depended  on,  that  sir 
Walter  invited  sundry  persons  of  distinction  to  share  in  his  charter,  and  join 
their  purses  with  his  in  the  laudable  project  of  fitting  out  a  colony  to  Virginia. 

Accordingly,  two  ships  were  sent  away  that  very  year,  under  the  command 
of  his  good  friends  Amidas  and  Barlow,  to  take  possession  of  the  country  in 
the  name  of  his  royal  mistress,  the  queen  of  England. 

These  worthy  commanders,  for  the  advantage  of  the  trade  winds,  shaped 
their  course  first  to  the  Charibbe  islands,  thence  stretching  away  by  the 
gulf  of  Florida,  dropped  anchor  not  far  from  Roanoke  inlet.  They  ventured 
ashore  near  that  place  upon  an  island  now  called  Colleton  island,  where  they 
setup  the  arms  of  England,  and  claimed  the  adjacent  country  in  right  of  their 
sovereign  lady,  the  queen;  and  this  ceremony  being  duly  performed,  they 
kindly  invited  the  neighbouring  Indians  to  traffick  with  them. 

These  poor  people  at  first  approached  the  English  with  great  caution,  hav- 
ing heard  much  of  the  treachery  of  the  Spaniards,  and  not  knowing  but  these 
strangers  might  be  as  treacherous  as  they.  But,  at  length,  discovering  a  kind 
of  good  nature  in  their  looks,  they  ventured  to  draw  near,  and  barter  their 
skins  and  furs  for  the  bawbles  and  trinkets  of  the  English. 

These  first  adventurers  made  a  very  profitable  voyage,  raising  at  least  a 
thousand  per  cent,  upon  their  cargo.     Amongst  other  Indian  commodities, 


2  THE  HISTORY  OF 

tliey  brought  over  some  of  that  bewitching  vegetable,  tobacco.  And  this  be- 
ing the  first  that  ever  came  to  England,  sir  Walter  thought  he  could  do  no 
less  than  make  a  present  of  some  of  the  brightest  of  it  to  his  royal  mistress, 
for  her  own  smoking.  The  queen  graciously  accepted  of  it,  but  finding  her 
stomach  sicken  after  two  or  three  whiffs,  it  was  presently  whispered  by  the 
earl  of  Leicester's  faction,  that  sir  Walter  had  certainly  poisoned  her.  But 
her  majesty  soon  recovering  her  disorder,  obliged  the  countess  of  Notting- 
ham and  all  her  maids  to  smoke  a  whole*  pipe  out  amongst  them. 

As  it  happened  some  ages  before  to  be  the  fashion  to  saunter  to  the  Holy 
Land,  and  go  upon  other  Quixote  adventures,  so  it  was  now  grown  the  hu- 
mour to  take  a  trip  to  America.  The  Spaniards  had  lately  discovered  rich 
mines  in  their  part  of  the  West  Indies,  which  made  their  maritime  neigh- 
bours eager  to  do  so  too.  This  modish  frenzy  being  still  more  inflamed  by 
the  charming  account  given  of  Virginia,  by  the  first  adventurers,  made  many 
fond  of  removing  to  such  a  paradise. 

Happy  was  he,  and  still  happier  she,  that  could  get  themselves  transported, 
fondly  expecting  their  coarsest  utensils,  in  that  happy  place,  would  be  of 
massy  silver. 

This  made  it  easy  for  the  company  to  procure  as  many  volunteers  as  they 
wanted  for  their  new  colony ;  but,  like  most  other  undertakers  who  have  no 
assistance  from  the  public,  they  starved  the  design  by  too  much  frugality ;  for, 
unwilling  to  launch  out  at  first  into  too  much  expense,  they  shipped  off  but 
few  people  at  a  time,  and  those  but  scantily  provided.  The  adventurers 
were,  besides,  idle  and  extravagant,  and  expected  they  might  live  without 
work  in  so  plentiful  a  country. 

These  wretches  were  set  ashore  not  far  from  Roanoke  inlet,  but  by  some 
fatal  disagreement,  or  laziness,  were  either  starved  or  cut  to  pieces  by  the 
Indians. 

Several  repeated  misadventures  of  this  kind  did,  for  some  time,  allay  the 
itch  of  sailing  to  this  new  world ;  but  the  distemper  broke  out  again  about 
the  year  1606.  Then  it  happened  that  the  earl  of  Southampton  and  several 
other  persons,  eminent  for  their  quality  and  estates,  were  invited  into  the 
company,  who  applied  themselves  once  more  to  people  the  then  almost  aban- 
doned colony.  For  this  purpose  they  embarked  about  a  hundred  men,  most 
of  them  reprobates  of  good  families,  and  related  to  some  of  the  company, 
who  were  men  of  quality  and  fortune. 

The  ships  that  carried  them  made  a  shift  to  find  a  more  direct  way  to  Vir- 
ginia, and  ventured  through  the  capes  into  the  bay  of  Chesapeake.  The 
same  night  they  came  to  an  anchor  at  the  mouth  of  Powhatan,  the  same  as 
James  river,  where  they  built  a  small  fort  at  a  place  called  Point  Comfort. 

This  settlement  stood,  its  ground  from  that  time  forward  in  spite  of  all  the 
blunders  and  disagreement  of  the  first  adventurers,  and  the  many  calamities 
that  befel  the  colony  afterwards.* 

*  The  six  gentlemen  who  were  first  named  of  the  company  by  the  crown,  and  who  were 
empowered  to  choose  an  annual  president  from  among  themselves,  were  always  engaged  in 
factions  and  quarrels,  while  the  rest  detested  work  more  than  famine.  At  this  rate  the 
colony  must  have  come  to  nothing,  had  it  not  been  for  the  vigilance  and  bravery  of  captain 
Smith,  who  struck  a  terror  into  all  the  Indians  round  about.  This  gentleman  took  some 
pains  to  persuade  the  men  to  plant  Indian  corn,  but  they  looked  upon  all  labour  as  a  curse. 
They  chose  rather  to  depend  upon  the  musty  provisions  that  were  sent  from  England :  and 
when  they  failed  they  were  foiced  to  take  more  pains  to  seek  for  wild  (nuts  in  the  woods, 
than  they  would  have  taken  in  tilling  the  ground.  Besides,  this  exposed  them  to  be 
knocked  on  the  head  by  the  Indians,  and  gave  them  fluxes  into  the  bargain,  which  thinned 
the  plantation  very  much.  To  supply  this  mortality,  they  were  reinforced  the  year  follow- 
ing with  a  greater  number  of  people,  amongst  which  were  fewer  gentlemen  and  more  la- 
bourers, who,  however,  took  c-are  not  to  kill  themselves  with  work. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  3 

These  found  the  first  adventurers  in  a  very  starving  condition,  but  relieved 
their  wants  with  the  fresh  supply  they  brought  with  them.  From  Kiquotan 
they  extended  themselves  as  far  as  James-town,  where,  like  true  English- 
men, they  built  a  church  that  cost  no  more  than  fifty  pounds,  and  a  tavern 
that  cost  five  hundred. 

They  had  now  made  peace  with  the  Indians,  but  there  was  one  thing  want- 
ing to  make  that  peace  lasting.  The  natives  could,  by  no  means,  persuade 
themselves  that  the  English  were  heartily  their  friends,  so  long  as  they  dis- 
dained to  intermarry  with  them.  And,  in  earnest,  had  the  English  consulted 
their  own  security  and  the  good  of  the  colony — had  they  intended  either  to 
civilize  or  convert  these  gentiles,  they  would  have  brought  their  stomachs  to 
embrace  this  prudent  alliance. 

The  Indians  are  generally  tall  and  well-proportioned,  which  may  make  full 
amends  for  the  darkness  of  their  complexions.  Add  to  this,  that  they  are 
healthy  and  strong,  with  constitutions  untainted  by  lewdness,  and  not  en- 
feebled by  luxury.  Besides,  morals  and  all  considered,  I  cannot  think  the 
Indians  were  much  greater  heathens  than  the  first  adventurers,  who,  had 
they  been  good  Christians,  would  have  had  the  charity  to  take  this  only 
method  of  converting  the  natives  to  Christianity.  For,  after  all  that  can  be 
said,  a  sprightly  lover  is  the  most  prevailing  missionary  that  can  be  sent 
amongst  these,  or  any  other  infidels. 

Besides,  the  poor  Indians  would  have  had  less  reason  to  complain  that  the 
English  took  away  their  land,  if  they  had  received  it  by  way  of  portion 
with  their  daughters.  Had  such  affinities  been  contracted  in  the  begin- 
ning, how  much  bloodshed  had  been  prevented,  and  how  populous  would 
the  country  have  been,  and,  consequently,  how  considerable?  Nor  would 
the  shade  of  the  skin  have  been  any  reproach  at  this  day;  for  if  a  Moor  may 
be  washed  white  in  three  generations,  surely  an  Indian  might  have  been 
blanched  in  two. 

The  French,  for  their  parts,  have  not  been  so  squeamish  in  Canada,  who 
upon  trial  find  abundance  of  attraction  in  the  Indians.  Their  late  grand 
monarch  thought  it  not  below  even  the  dignity  of  a  Frenchman  to  become 
one  flesh  with  this  people,  and  therefore  ordered  1 00  livres  for  any  of  his  sub- 
jects, man  or  woman,  that  would  intermarry  with  a  native. 

By  this  piece  of  policy  we  find  the  French  interest  very  much  strengthened 
amongst  the  savages,  and  their  religion,  such  as  it  is,  propagated  just  as  far 
as  their  love.  And  I  heartily  wish  this  well-concerted  scheme  does  not  here- 
after give  the  French  an  advantage  over  his  majesty's  good  subjects  on  the 
northern  continent  of  America. 

About  the  same  time  New  England  was  pared  off  frdm  Virginia  by  letters 
patent,  bearing  date  April  the  10th,  1608.  Several  gentlemen  of  the  town 
and  neighborhood  of  Plymouth  obtained  this  grant,  with  the  lord  chief 
justice  Popham  at  their  head. 

Their  bounds  were  specified  to  extend  from  38  to  45  degrees  of  northern 
latitude,  with  a  breadth  of  one  hundred  miles  from  the  sea  shore.  The  first 
fourteen  years,  this  company  encountered  many  difficulties,  and  lost  many 
men,  though  far  from  being  discouraged,  they  sent  over  numerous  recruits  of 
presbyterians,  every  year,  who  for  all  that,  had  much  ado  to  stand  their 
groundv  with  all  their  fighting  and  praying. 

But  waout  the  year.  1620,  a  large  swarm  of  dissenters  fled  thither  from  the- 
severities  of  their  stepmother,  the  chureh.  These  saints  conceiving  the  same 
aversion  to  the  copper  complexion  of  the  natives,  with  that  of  the  first  ad- 
venturers to  Virginia,  would,  on  no  terms,  contract  alliances  with  them,  afraid 
perhaps,  like  the  Jews  of  old,  lest  they  might  be  drawn  into  idolatry  by  those 
strange  women. 


4  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Whatever  disgusted  them  I  cannot  say,  but  this  false  delicacy  creating  in 
the  Indians  a  jealousy  that  the  English  were  ill  affected  towards  them,  was 
the  cause  that  many  of  them  were  cut  off,  and  the  rest  exposed  to  various 
distresses. 

This  reinforcement  was  landed  not  far  from  cape  Cod,  where,  for  their 
greater  security,  they  built  a  fort,  and  near  it  a  small  town,  which,  in  honour 
of  the  proprietors,  was  called  New  Plymouth.  But  they  still  had  many  dis- 
couragements to  struggle  with,  though,  by  being  well  supported  from  home, 
they  by  degrees  triumphed  over  them  all. 

Their  brethren,  after  this,  flocked  over  so  fast,  that  in  a  few  years  they  ex- 
tended the  settlement  one  hundred  miles  along  the  coast,  including  Rhode 
Island  and  Martha's  Vineyard. 

Thus  the  colony  throve  apace,  and  was  thronged  with  large  detachments  of 
independents  and  presbyterians,  who  thought  themselves  persecuted  at  home. 

Though  these  people  may  be  ridiculed  for  some  pharisaical  particularities 
in  their  worship  and  behaviour,  yet  they  were  very  useful  subjects,  as  being 
frugal  and  industrious,  giving  no  scandal  or  bad  example,  at  least  by  any 
open  and  public  vices.  By  which  excellent  qualities  they  had  much  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  southern  colony,  who  thought  their  being  members  of  the 
established  church  sufficient  to  sanctify  very  loose  and  profligate  morals. 
For  this  reason  New  England  improved  much  faster  than  Virginia,  and  in 
seven  or  eight  years  New  Plymouth,  like  Switzerland,  seemed  too  narrow  a 
territory  for  its  inhabitants. 

For  this  reason,  several  gentlemen  of  fortune  purchased  of  the  company 
that  canton  of  New  England  now  called  Massachusetts  colony.  And  king 
James  confirmed  the  purchase  by  his  royal  charter,  dated  March  the  4th, 
1628.  In  less  than  two  years  after,  above  one  thousand  of  the  puritanical 
sect  removed  thither  with  considerable  effects,  and  these  were  followed  by 
such  crowds,  that  a  proclamation  was  issued  in  England,  forbidding  any 
more  of  his  majesty's  subjects  to  be  shipped  off.  But  this  had  the  usual  effect 
of  things  forbidden,  and  served  only  to  make  the  wilful  independents  flock 
over  the  faster.  And  about  this  time  it  was  that  Messrs.  Hampden  and  Pym, 
and  (some  say)  Oliver  Cromwell,  to  show  how  little  they  valued  the  king's 
authority,  took  a  trip  to  New  England. 

In  the  year  1630,  the  famous  city  of  Boston  was  built,  in  a  commodious 
situation  for  trade  and  navigation,  the  same  being  on  a  peninsula  at  the  bot- 
tom of  Massachusetts  bay. 

This  town  is  now  the  most  considerable  of  any  on  the  British  continent, 
containing  at  least  8,000  houses  and  40,000  inhabitants.  The  trade  it  drives, 
is  very  great  to  Europe,  and  to  every  part  of  the  West  Indies,  having  near 
1,000  ships  and  lesser  vessels  belonging  to  it. 

Although  the  extent  of  the  Massachusetts  colony  reached  near  one  hundred 
and  ten  miles  in  length,  and  half  as  much  in  breadth,  yet  many  of  its  inhabit- 
ants, thinking  they  wanted  elbow  room,  quitted  their  old  seats  in  the  year 
1636,  and  formed  two  new  colonies:  that  of  Connecticut  and  New  Haven. 
These  king  Charles  II.  erected  into  one  government  in  1664,  and  gave  them 
many  valuable  privileges,  and  among  the  rest,  that  of  choosing  their  own 
governors.  The  extent  of  these  united  colonies  may  be  about  seventy  miles 
long  and  fifty  broad. 

Besides  these  several  settlements,  there  sprang  up  still  another,  a  liftje  more 
northerly,  called  New  Hampshire.  But  that  consisting  of  no  more  than  two 
counties,  and  not  being  in  condition  to  support  the  charge  of  a  distinct  go- 
vernment, was  glad  to  be  incorporated  with  that  of  Massachusetts,  but  upon 
condition,  however,  of  being  named  in  all  public  acts,  for  fear  of  being  quite 
lost  and  forgotten  in  the  coalition. 


f 


\ 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  5 

fin  like  manner  New  Plymouth  joined  itself  to  Massachusetts,  except  only- 
Rhode  Island,  which,  though  of  small  extent,  got  itself  erected  into  a  sepa- 
rate government  by  a  charter  from  king  Charles  II.,  soon  after  the  restoration, 
and  continues  so  to  this  day. 
*  These  governments  all  continued  in  possession  of  their  respective  rights 
(  and  privileges  till  the  year  1683,  when  that  of  Massachusetts  was  made  void 
v  in  England  by  a  quo  warranto. 

In  consequence  of  which  the  king  was  pleased  to  name  sir  Edmund 
Andros  his  first  governor  of  that  colony.  This  gentleman,  it  seems,  ruled 
them  with  a  rod  of  iron  till  the  revolution,  when  they  laid  unhallowed  hands 
upon  him,  and  sent  him  prisoner  to  England. 

This  undutiful  proceeding  met  with  an  easy  forgiveness  at  that  happy 
juncture.  King  William  and  his  royal  consort  were  not  only  pleased  to  over- 
look this  indignity  offered  to  their  governor,  but  being  made  sensible  how 
unfairly  their  charter  had  been  taken  away,  most  graciously  granted  them  a 
new  one. 

By  this  some  new  franchises  were  given  them,  as  an  equivalent  for  those 
of  coining  money  and  electing  a  governor,  which  were  taken  away.  How- 
ever, the  other  colonies  of  Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island  had  the  luck  to 
remain  in  possession  of  their  original  charters,  which  to  this  day  have  never 
been  called  in  question. 

The  next  country  dismembered  from  Virginia  was  New  Scotland,  claimed 
by  the  crown  of  England  in  virtue  of  the  first  discovery  by  Sebastian  Cabot. 
By  colour  of  this  title,  king  James  I.  granted  it  to  sir  William  Alexander  by 
patent,  dated  September  the  10th,  1621. 

But  this  patentee  never  sending  any  colony  thither,  and  the  French  believ- 
ing it  very  convenient  for  them,  obtained  a  surrender  of  it  from  then-  good 
friend  and  ally,  king  Charles  fl\,  by  the  treaty  of  Breda.  And,  to  show  their 
gratitude,  they  stirred  up  the  Indians  soon  after  to  annoy  their  neighbours  of 
New  England.  Murders  happened  continually  to  his  majesty's  subjects  by 
their  means,  till  sir  William  Phipps  took  their  town  of  Port  Royal,  in  the  year 
1690.  But  as  the  English  are  better  at  taking  than  keeping  strong  places, 
the  French  retook  it  soon,  and  remained  masters  of  it  till  1710,  when  general 
Nicholson  wrested  it,  once  more,  out  of  their  hands. 

Afterwards  the  queen  of  Great  Britain's  right  to  it  was  recognized  and 
confirmed  by  the  treaty  of  Utrecht. 

Another  limb  lopped  off  from  Virginia  was  Kew  York,  which  the  Dutch 
seized  very  unfairly,  on  pretence  of  having  purchased  it  from  captain  Hudson, 
the  first  discoverer.  Nor  was  their  way  of  taking  possession  of  it  a  whit 
more  justifiable  than  their  pretended  title.  Their  West  India  company  tam- 
pered with  some  worthy  English  skippers  (who  had  contracted  with  a  swarm 
of  English  dissenters  to  transport  them  to  Hudson  river)  by  no  means  to  land 
them  there,  but  to  carry  them  some  leagues  more  northerly. 

This  Dutch  finesse  took  exactly,  and  gave  the  company  time  soon  after 
to  seize  Hudson  river  for  themselves.  But  sir  Samuel  Argall,  then  governor 
of  Virginia,  understanding  how  the  king's  subjects  had  been  abused  by  these 
republicans,  marched  thither  with  a  good  force,  and  obliged  them  to  renounce 
all  pretensions  to  that  country.  The  worst  of  it  was,  the  knight  depended 
on  their  parole  to  ship  themselves  for  Brazil,  but  took  no  measures  to  make 
this  slippery  people  as  good  as  their  word. 

No  sooner  was  the  good  governor  retired,  but  the  honest  Dutch  began  to 
build  forts  and  strengthen  themselves  in  their  ill-gotten  possessions  ;  nor  did 
any  of  the  king's  liege  people  take  the  trouble  to  drive  these  intruders  thence. 
The  civil  war  in  England,  and  the  confusions  it  brought  forth,  allowed  no  lei- 
sure for  such  distant  considerations.    Though  it  is  strange  that  the  protector, 

B 


g  THE  HISTORY  OF 

who  neglected  no  occasion  to  mortify  the  Dutch,  did  not  afterwards  call  them  * 
to  account  for  this  breach  of  faith.     However,  after  the  restoration,  the  king 
sent  a  squadron  of  his  ships  of  war,  under  the  command  of  sir  Robert  Carr, 
and  reduced  that  province  to  his  obedience. 

Some  time  after,  his  majesty  was  pleased  to  grant  that  country  to  his  royal 
highness,  the  duke  of  York,  by  letters  patent,  dated  March  the  12th,  1664. 
But  to  show  the  modesty  of  the  Dutch  to  the  life,  though  they  had  no  shadow 
of  right  to  New  York,  yet  they  demanded  Surinam,  a  more  valuable  country, 
as  an  equivalent  for  it,  and  our  able  ministers  at  that  time  had  the  generosity 
to  give  it  them. 

But  what  wounded  Virginia  deepest  was  the  cutting  off  Maryland  from  it, 
by  charter  from  king  Charles  I.  to  sir  George  Calvert,  afterwards  lord  Balti- 
more, bearing  date  the  20th  of  June,  1632.  The  truth  of  it  is,  it  begat  much 
speculation  in  those  days,  how  it  came  about  that  a  good  protestant  king 
should  bestow  so  bountiful  a  grant  upon  a  zealous  Roman  catholic.  But  it  is 
probable  it  was  one  fatal  instance  amongst  many  other  of  his  majesty's  com- 
plaisance to  the  queen. 

However  that  happened,  it  is  certain  this  province  afterwards  proved  a 
commodious  retreat  for  persons  of  that  communion.  The  memory  of  the 
gunpowder  treason-plot  was  still  fresh  in  every  body's  mind,  and  made  Eng- 
land too  hot  for  papists  to  live  in,  without  danger  of  being  burnt  with  the 
pope,  every  5th  of  November;  for  which  reason  legions  of  them  transplanted 
themselves  to  Maryland  in  order  to  be  safe,  as  well  from  the  insolence  of  the 
populace  as  the  rigour  of  the  government. 

Not  only  the  gunpowder  treason,  but  every  other  plot,  both  pretended  and 
real,  that  has  been  trumped  up  in  England  ever  since,  has  helped  to  people  his 
lordship's  propriety.  But  what  has  proved  most  serviceable  to  it  was  the  grand 
rebellion  against  king  Charles  I.,  when  every  thing  that  bore  the  least  tokens 
of  popery  was  sure  to  be  demolished,  and  every  man  that  professed  it  was  in 
jeopardy  of  suffering  the  same  kind  of  martyrdom  the  Romish  priests  do  in 
Sweden. 

Soon  after  the  reduction  of  New  York,  the  duke  was  pleased  to  grant  out 
of  it  all  that  tract  of  land  included  between  Hudson  and  Delaware  rivers,  to 
the  lord  Berkley  and  sir  George  Carteret,  by  deed  dated  June  the  24th,  1664. 
And  when  these  grantees  came  to  make  partition  of  this  territory,  his  lord- 
ship's moiety  was  called  West  Jersey,  and  that  to  sir  George,  East  Jersey. 

But  before  the  date  of  this  grant,  the  Swedes  began  to  gain  footing  in  part 
of  that  country ;  though,  after  they  saw  the  fate  of  New  York,  they  were 
glad  to  submit  to  the  king  of  England,  on  the  easy  terms  of  remaining  in  their 
possessions,  and  rendering  a  moderate  quit-rent.  Their  posterity  continue 
there  to  this  day,  and  think  their  lot  cast  in  a  much  fairer  land  than  Dalicarlia. 

The  proprietors  of  New  Jersey,  finding  more  trouble  than  profit  in  their 
new  dominions,  made  over  their  right  to  several  other  persons,  who  obtained 
a  fresh  grant  from  his  royal  highness,  dated  March  the  14th,  1682. 

Several  of  the  grantees,  being  quakers  and  anabaptists,  failed  not  to  en- 
courage many  of  their  own  persuasion  to  remove  to"  this  peaceful  region. 
Amongst  them  were  a  swarm  of  Scots  quakers,  who  were  not  tolerated  to 
exercise  the  gifts  of  the  spirit  in  their  own  country. 

Besides  the  hopes  of  being  safe  from  persecution  in  this  retreat,  the  new 
proprietors  inveigled  many  over  by  this  tempting  account  of  the  country: 
that  it  was  a  place  free  from  those  three  great  scourges  of  mankind,  priests, 
lawyers,  and  physicians.  Nor  did  they  tell  them  a  word  of  a  lie,  for  the  peo- 
ple were  yet  too  poor  to  maintain  these  learned  gentlemen,  who,  every  where, 
love  to  be  well  paid  for  what  they  do ;  and,  like  the  Jews,  cannot  breathe  in  a 
climate  where  nothing  is  to  be  gotten. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  7 

The  Jerseys  continued  under  the  government  of  these  proprietors  till 
the  year  1702,  when  they  made  a  formal  surrender  of  the  dominion  to  the 
queen,  reserving  however  the  property  of  the  soil  to  themselves.  So  soon  as 
the  bounds  of  New  Jersey  came  to  be  distinctly  laid  off,  it  appeared  there  was 
still  a  narrow  slip  of  land,  lying  betwixt  that  colony  and  Maryland.  Of  this, 
William  Penn,  a  man  of  much  worldly  wisdom,  and  some  eminence  among 
the  quakers,  got  early  notice,  and,  by  the  credit  he  had  with  the  duke  of  York, 
obtained  a  patent  for  it,  dated  March  the  4th,  1680. 

It  was  a  little  surprising  to  some  people  how  a  quaker  should  be  so  much 
in  the  good  graces  of  a  popish  prince ;  though,  after  all,  it  may  be  pretty 
well  accounted  for.  This  ingenious  person  had  not  been  bred  a  quaker ;  but, 
in  his  earlier  days,  had  been  a  man  of  pleasure  about  the  town.  He  had 
a  beautiful  form  and  very  taking  address,  which  made  him  successful  with 
the  ladies,  and  particularly  with  a  mistress  of  the  duke  of  Monmouth.  By 
this  gentlewoman  he  had  a  daughter,  who  had  beauty  enough  to  raise  her  to 
be  a  dutchess,  and  continued  to  be  a  toast  full  30  years.  But  this  amour  had 
like  to  have  brought  our  fine  gentleman  in  danger  of  a  duel,  had  he  not  dis- 
creetly sheltered  himself  under  this  peaceable  persuasion.  Besides,  his  father 
having  been  a  flag-officer  in  the  navy,  while  the  duke  of  York  was  lord  high 
admiral,  might  recommend  the  son  to  his  favour.  This  piece  of  secret  history 
I  thought  proper  to  mention,  to  wipe  off  the  suspicion  of  his  having  been 
popish]  y  inclined. 

This  gentleman's  first  grant  confined  him  within  pretty  narrow  bounds, 
giving  him  only  that  portion  of  land  which  contains  Buckingham,  Philadel- 
phia and  Chester  counties.  But  to  get  these  bounds  a  little  extended,  he 
pushed  his  interest  still  further  with  his  royal  highness,  and  obtained  a  fresh 
grant  of  the  three  lower  counties,  called  Newcastle,  Kent  and  Sussex,  which 
still  remained  within  the  New  York  patent,  and  had  been  luckily  left  out  of 
the  grant  of  New  Jersey.  The  six  counties  being  thus  incorporated,  the  pro- 
prietor dignified  the  whole  with  the  name  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  quakers  flocked  over  to  this  country  in  shoals,  being  averse  to  go  to 
heaven  the  same  way  with  the  bishops.  Amongst  them  were  not  a  few  of 
good  substance,  who  went  vigorously  upon  every  kind  of  improvement ;  and 
thus  much  I  may  truly  say  in  their  praise,  that  by  diligence  and  frugality,  for 
which  this  harmless  sect  is  remarkable,  and  by  having  no  vices  but  such  as 
are  private,  they  have  in  a  few  years  made  Pennsylvania  a  very  fine  country. 
The  truth  is,  they  have  observed  exact  justice  with  all  the  natives  that  border 
upon  them  ;  they  have  purchased  all  their  lands  from  the  Indians  ;  and  though 
they  paid  but  a  trifle  for  them,  it  has  procured  them  the  credit  of  being  more 
righteous  than  their  neighbours.  They  have  likewise  had  the  prudence  to 
treat  them  kindly  upon  all  occasions,  which  has  saved  them  from  many  wars 
and  massacres  wherein  the  other  colonies  have  been  indiscreetly  involved. 
The  truth  of  it  is,  a  people  whose  principles  forbid  them  to  draw  the  carnal 
sword,  were  in  the  right  to  give  no  provocation. 

Both  the  French  and  Spaniards  had,  in  the  name  of  their  respective  mon- 
archs,  long  ago  taken  possession  of  that  part  of  the  northern  continent  that 
now  goes  by  the  name  of  Carolina  ;  but  finding  it  produced  neither  gold  nor 
silver,  as  they  greedily  expected,  and  meeting  such  returns  from  the  Indians 
as  their  own  cruelty  and  treachery  deserved,  they  totally  abandoned  it.  In 
this  deserted  condition  that  country  lay  for  the  space  of  ninety  years,  till  king 
Charles  II,  finding  it  a  derelict,  granted  it  away  to  the  earl  of  Clarendon  and 
others,  by  his  royal  charter,  dated  March  the  24th,  1663.  The  boundary  of 
that  grant  towards  Virginia  was  a  due  west  line  from  Luck  island,  (the  same 
as  Colleton  island,)  lying  in  36  degrees  of  north  latitude,  quite  to  the 
South  sea. 


8 


THE  HISTORY  OF 


But  afterwards  sir  William  Berkley,  who  was  one  of  the  grantees  and  at 
that  time  governor  of  Virginia,  finding  a  territory  of  31  miles  in  breadth 
between  the  inhabited  part  of  Virginia  and  the  above-mentioned  boundary  of 
Carolina,  advised  the  lord  Clarendon  of  it.  And  his  lordship  had  interest 
enough  with  the  king  to  obtain  a  second  patent  to  include  it,  dated  June  the 
30th,  1665. 

This  last  grant  describes  the  bounds  between  Virginia  and  Carolina  in 
these  words :  "  To  run  from  the  north  end  of  Coratuck  inlet,  due  west  to 
Weyanoke  creek,  lying  within  or  about  the  degree  of  thirty-six  and  thirty 
minutes  of  northern  latitude,  and  from  thence  west,  in  a  direct  line,  as  far  as 
the  South  sea."  Without  question,  this  boundary  was  well  known  at  the 
time  the  charter  was  granted,  but  in  a  long  course  of  years  Weyanoke  creek 
lost  its  name,  so  that  it  became  a  controversy  where  it  lay.  Some  ancient 
persons  in  Virginia  affirmed  it  was  the  same  with  Wicocon,  and  others  again 
in  Carolina  were  as  positive  it  was  Nottoway  river. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  people  on  the  frontiers  entered  for  land,  and  took  out 
patents  by  guess,  either  from  the  king  or  the  lords  proprietors.  But  the 
crown  was  like  to  be  the  loser  by  this  uncertainty,  because  the  terms  both  of 
taking  up  and  seating  land  were  easier  much  in  Carolina.  The  yearly  taxes 
to  the  public  were  likewise  there  less  burthensome,  which  laid  Virginia  under 
a  plain  disadvantage. 

This  consideration  put  that  government  upon  entering  into  measures  with 
North  Carolina,  to  terminate  the  dispute,  and  settle  a  certain  boundary  be- 
tween the  two  colonies.  All  the  difficulty  was,  to  find  out  which  was^truly- 
Weyanoke  creek.  The  difference  was  too  considerable  to  be  given  up  by 
either  side,  there  being  a  territory  of  fifteen  miles  betwixt  the  two  streams  in 
controversy. 

However,  till  that  matter  could  be  adjusted,  it  was  agreed  on  both  sides, 
that  no  lands  at  all  should  be  granted  within  the  disputed  bounds.  Virginia 
observed  this  agreement  punctually,  but  I  am  sorry  I  cannot  say  the  same  of 
North  Carolina.  The  great  officers  of  that  province  were  loath  to  lose  the 
fees  accruing  from  the  grants  of  land,  and  so  private  interest  got  the  better 
of  public  spirit;  and  I  wish  that  were  the  only  place  in  the  world  where  such 
politics  are  fashionable. 

All  the  steps  that  were  taken  afterwards  in  that  affair,  will  best  appear  by 
the  report  of  the  Virginia  commissioners,  recited  in  the  order  of  council 
given  at  St.  James',  March  the  1st,  1710,  set  down  in  the  appendix. 

It  must  be  owned,  the  report  of  those  gentlemen  was  severe  upon  the  then 
commissioners  of  North  Carolina,  and  particularly  upon  Mr.  Moseley.  I  will 
not  take  it  upon  me  to  say  with  how  much  justice  they  said  so  many  hard 
things,  though  it  had  been  fairer  play  to  have  given  the  parties  accused  a 
copy  of  such  representation,  that  they  might  have  answered  what  they  could 
for  themselves. 

But  since  that  was  not  done,  I  must  beg  leave  to*  say  thus  much  in  behalf 
of  Mr.  Moseley,  that  he  was  not  much  in  the  wrong  to  find  fault  with  the 
quadrant  produced  by  the  surveyors  of  Virginia,  because  that  instrument 
placed  the  mouth  of  Nottoway  river  in  the  latitude  of  37  degrees ;  whereas, 
by  an  accurate  observation  made  since,  it  appears  to  lie  in  36°  30'  30",  so 
that  there  was  an  error  of  near  30  minutes,  either  in  the  instrument  or  in 
those  who  made  use  of  it. 

Besides,  it  is  evident  the  mouth  of  Nottoway  river  agrees  much  better  with 
the  latitude,  wherein  the  Carolina  charter  supposed  Weyanoke  creek,  (namely, 
in  or  about  36°  30',)  than  it  does  with  Wicocon  creek,  which  is  about  fifteen 
miles  more  southerly. 

This  being  manifest,  the  intention  of  the  king's  grant  will  be  pretty  exactly 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  9 

answered,  by  a  due  west  line  drawn  from  Coratuck  inlet  to  the  mouth  of 
Nottoway  river,  for  which  reason  it  is  probable  that  was  formerly  called 
Weyanoke  creek,  and  might  change  its  name  when  the  Nottoway  Indians 
came  to  live  upon  it,  which  was  since  the  date  of  the  last  Carolina  charter. 

The  lieutenant   governor  of  Virginia,  at  that   time   colonel   Spotswood, 
searching  into  the  bottom  of  this  affair,  made  very  equitable  proposals  tcTMr. 
Eden,  at  that  time  governor  of  North  Carolina,  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  this 
controversy.     These,  being  formed  into  preliminaries,  were  signed  by  both 
governors,  and  transmitted  to  England,  where  they  had  the  honour  to  be  rati- 
fied by  his  late  majesty  and  assented  to  by  the  lords  proprietors  of  Carolina. 
.    Accordingly  an  order  was  sent  by  the  late  king  to  Mr.  Gooch,  afterwards 
lieutenant  governor  of  Virginia,  to  pursue  those  preliminaries  exactly.     In 
obedience  thereunto,  he  was  pleased  to  appoint  three  of  the  council  of  that  -, 
colony  to  be  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  who,  in  conjunction  with    |-i 
others  to  be  named  by  the  governor  of  North  Carolina,  were  to  settle  the^J 
boundary  between  the  two  governments,  upon  the  plan  of  the  above-men- 
tioned articles. 

February,  1728.  Two  experienced  surveyors  were  at  the  same  time  di- 
rected to  wait  upon  the  commissioners,  Mr.  Mayo,  who  made  the  accurate 
map  of  Baibadoes,  and  Mr.  Irvin,  the  mathematic  professor  of  William  and 
Mary  College.  And  because  a  good  number  of  men  were  to  go  upon  this 
expedition,  a  chaplain  was  appointed  to  attend  them,  and  the  rather  because 
the  people  on  the  frontiers  of  North  Carolina,  who  have  no  minister  near 
them,  might  have  an  opportunity  to  get  themselves  and  their  children  baptized. 

Of  these  proceedings  on  our  part,  immediate  notice  was  sent  to  sir  Richard 
Everard,  governor  of  North  Carolina,  who  was  desired  to  name  commission- 
ers for  that  province,  to  meet  those  of  Virginia  at  Coratuck  inlet  the  spring 
following.  Accordingly  he  appointed  four  members  of  the  council  of  that 
province  to  take  care  of  the  interests  of  the  lords  proprietors.  Of  these,  Mr. 
Moseley  was  to  serve  in  a  double  capacity,  both  as  commissioner  and  sur- 
veyor. For  that  reason  there  was  but  one  other  surveyor  from  thence,  Mr. 
Swan.  All  the  persons  being  thus  agreed  upon,  they  settled  the  time  of 
meeting  to  be  at  CoratuiJ^JMai£hJ;he  5th,  1728. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  requisite  preparations  were  made  for  so  long  and 
tiresome  a  journey ;  and  because  there  was  much  work  to  be  done  and  some 
danger  from  the  Indians,  is  the  uninhabited  part  of  the  country,  it  was  neces- 
sary to  provide  a  competent  number  of  men.  Accordingly,  seventeen  able 
hands  were  listed  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  who  were  most  of  them  Indian 
traders  and  expert  woodsmen. 

Feb.  27th.  These  good  men  were  ordered  to  come  armed  with  a  musket 
and  a  tomahawk,  or  large  hatchet,  and  provided  with  a  sufficient  quantity  of 
ammunition.  They  likewise  brought  provisions  of  their  own  for  ten  days, 
after  which  time  they  were  to  be  furnished  by  the  government.  Their  march 
was  appointed  to  be  on  the  27th  of  February,  on  which  day  one  of  the  com- 
missioners met  them  at  their  rendezvous,  and  proceeded  with  them  as  far  as 
colonel  Allen's.  This  gentleman  is  a  great  economist,  and  skilled  in  all  the 
arts  of  living  well  at  an  easy  expense. 

28th.  They  proceeded  in  good  order  through  Surry  county,  as  far  as  the 
widow  Allen's,  who  had  copied  Solomon's  complete  housewife  exactly.  At 
this  gentlewoman's  house,  the  other  two  commissioners  had  appointed  to  join 
them,  but  were  detained  by  some  accident  at  Williamsburg,  longer  than  their 
appointment. 

29th.  They  pursued  their  march  through  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  observed 
a  most  dreadful  havoc  made  by  a  late  hurricane,  which  happened  in  August, 
1726.     The  violence  of  it  had  not  reached  above  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 


V 


10  THE  HISTORY  OF 

breadth,  but  within  that  compass  had  levelled  all  before  it.  Both  trees  and 
houses  were  laid  flat  on  the  ground,  and  several  things  hurled  to  an  incredi- 
ble distance.  It  is  happy  such  violent  gusts  are  confined  to  so  narrow  a 
channel,  because  they  carry  desolation  wherever  they  go.  In  the  evening 
they  reached  Mr.  Godwin's,  on  the  south  branch  of  Nansemond  river,  where 
they  were  treated  with  abundance  of  primitive  hospitality. 

March  1st.  This  gentleman  was  so  kind  as  to  shorten  their  journey,  by  set- 
ting them  over  the  river.  They  coasted  the  north-east  side  of  the  Dismal  for 
several  miles  together,  and  found  all  the  grounds  bordering  upon  it  very  full 
of  sloughs.  /The  trees  that  grew  near  it  looked  very  reverend,  with  the  long 
moss  that  hung  dangling  from  their  branches.  Both  cattle  and  horses  eat 
this  moss  greedily  in  winter  when  other  provender  is  scarce,  though  it  is  apt 
to  scour  them  at  first.  In  that  moist  soil  too  grew  abundance  of  that  kind  of 
myrtle  which  bears  the  candle-berries.  There  was  likewise,  here  and  there, 
a  gall  bush,*  which  is  a  beautiful  evergreen,  and  may  be  cut  into  any  shape. 
It  derives  its  name  from  its  berries  turning  water  black,  like  the  galls  of  an 
oak.  When  this  shrub  is  transplanted  into  gardens,  it  will  not  thrive  without, 
frequent  watering. 

The  two  other  commissioners  came  up  with  them  just  at  their  journey's 
<end,  and  that  evening  they  arrived  all  together  at  Mr.  Craford's,  who  lives 
on  the  south  branch  of  Elizabeth  river,  over  against  Norfolk.  Here  the  com- 
missioners left  the  men  with  all  the  horses  and  heavy  baggage,  and  crossed 
the  river  with  their  servants  only,  for  fear  of  making  a  famine  in  the  town.  . 

Norfolk  has  most  the  air  of  a  town  of  any  in  Virginia.  There  were  then 
near  20  brigantines  and  sloops  riding  at  the  wharves,  and  oftentimes  they  have 
more.  It  has  all  the  advantages  of  situation  requisite  for  trade  and  navi- 
•gation.  There  is  a  secure  harbour  for  a  good  number  of  ships  of  any  bur- 
then. Their  river  divides  itself  into  three  several  branches,  which  are  all 
navigable.  The  town  is  so  near  the  sea,  that  its  vessels  may  sail  in  and  out 
in  a  few  hours.  Their  trade  is  chiefly  to  the  West  Indies,  whither  they  ex- 
port abundance  of  beef,  pork,  flour  and  lumber.  The  worst  of  it  is,  they 
contribute  much  towards  debauching  the  country  by  importing  abundance  of 
*-  rum,  which,  like  gin  in  Great  Britain,  breaks  the  constitutions,  vitiates  the 
morals,  and  ruins  the  industry  of  most  of  the  poor  people  of  this  country. 
This  place  is  the  mart  for  most  of  the  commodities  produced  in  the  adjacent 
parts  of  North  Carolina.  They  have  a  pretty  deal  of  lumber  from  the  bor- 
derers on  the  Dismal,  who  make  bold  with  the  king's  land  thereabouts,  with- 
out the  least  ceremony.  They  not  only  maintain  their  stocks  upon  it,  but 
get  boards,  shingles  and  other  lumber  out  of  it  in  great  abundance. 

The  town  is  built  on  a  level  spot  of  ground  upon  Elizabeth  river,  the  banks 
whereof  are  neither  so  high  as  to  make  the  landing  of  goods  troublesome,  or 
so  low  as  to  be  in  danger  of  overflowing.  The  streets  are  straight,  and 
adorned  with  several  good  houses,  which  increase  every  day.  It  is  not  a 
town  of  ordinaries  and  public  houses,  like  most  others  in  this  country,  but 
the  inhabitants  consist  of  merchants,  ship-carpenters  and  other  useful  artisans, 
with  sailors  enough  to  manage  their  navigation.  With  all  these  conveni- 
ences, it  lies  under  the  two  great  disadvantages  that  most  of  the  towns  in 
Holland  do,  by  having  neither  good  air  nor  good  water.  The  two  cardi- 
nal virtues  that  make  a  place  thrive,  industry  and  frugality,  are  seen  here  in 
perfection;  and  so  long  as  they  can  banish  luxury  and  idleness,  the  town  will 
remain  in  a  happy  and  flourishing  condition. 

The  method  of  building  wharves  here  is  after  the  following  manner.  They 
lay  down  long  pine  logs,  that  reach  from  the  shore  to  the  edge  of  the  channel. 
These  are  bound  fast  together  by  cross  pieces  notched  into  them,  according 
to  the  architecture  of  the  log-houses  in  North  Carolina.     A  wharf  built  thus 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  \\ 

will  stand  several  years,  in  spite  of  the  worm,  which  bites  here  very  much, 
but  may  be  soon  repaired  in  a  place  where  so  many  pines  grow  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood. 

The  commissioners  endeavoured,  in  this  town,  to  list  three  more  men  to 
serve  as  guides  in  that  dirty  part  of  the  country,  but  found  that  these  people 
knew  just  enough  of  that  frightful  place  to  avoid  it.  They  had  been  told  that 
those  Netherlands  were  full  of  bogs,  of  marshes  and  swamps,  not  fit  for 
human  creatures  to  engage  in,  and  this  was  reason  enough  for  them  not  to. 
hazard  their  persons.  So  they  told  us,  flat  and  plain,  that  we  might  even  dag- 
gle through  the  mire  by  ourselves  for  them. 

The  worst  of  it  was,  we  could  not  learn  from  any  body  in  this  town,  what 
route  to  take  to  Coratuck  inlet ;  till  at  last  we  had  the  fortune  to  meet  with  a 
borderer  upon  North  Carolina,  who  made  us  a  rough  sketch  of  that  part  of 
the  country.  Thus,  upon  seeing  how  the  land  lay,  we  determined  to  march 
directly  to  Prescot  landing  upon  North-west  river,  and  proceed  thence- 
by  water  to  the  place  where  our  line  was  to  begin. 

4th.  In  pursuance  of  this  resolution  we  crossed  the  river  this  morning  to- 
Powder  point,  where  we  all  took  horse ;  and  the  grandees  of  the  town,  with 
great  courtesy,  conducted  us  ten  miles  on  our  way,  as  far  as  the  long  bridge- 
built  over  the  south  branch  of  the  river.  The  parson  of  the  parish,  Mr. 
Marston,  a  painful  apostle  from  the  society,  made  one  in  this  ceremonious; 
cavalcade. 

At  the  bridge,  these  gentlemen,  wishing  us  a  good  deliverance,  returned,, 
and  then  a  troop  of  light  horse  escorted  us  as  far  as  Prescot  landing,  upon 
North-west  river.  Care  had  been  taken  beforehand  to  provide  two  periau- 
gas  to  lie  ready  at  that  place  to  transport  us  to  Coratuck  inlet.  Our  zeal  was. 
so  great  to  get  thither  at  the  time  appointed,  that  we  hardly  allowed  ourselves 
leisure  to  eat,  which  in  truth  we  had  the  less  stomach  to,  by  reason  the  din- 
ner was  served  up  by  the  landlord,  whose  nose  stood  on  such  ticklish  terms, 
that  it  was  in  danger  of  falling  into  the  dish.  We  therefore  made  our  repast 
very  short,  and  then  embarked  with  only  the  surveyors  and  nine  chosen  men, 

leaving  the  rest  at  Mr.  W n's  to  take  care  of  the  horses  and  baggage. 

There  we  also  left  our  chaplain,  with  the  charitable  intent,  that  the  gentiles 
round  about  might  have  time  and  opportunity,  if  they  pleased,  of  getting 
themselves  and  their  children  baptized. 

We  rowed  down  North-west  river  about  18  miles,  as  far  as  the  mouth  of 
it,  where  it  empties  itself  into  Albemarle  sound.  It  was  really  a  delightful 
sight,  all  the  way,  to  see  the  banks  of  the  river  adorned  with  myrtle,  laurel 
and  bay  trees,  which  preserve  their  verdure  the  year  round,  though  it  must 
be  owned  that  these  beautiful  plants,  sacred  to  Venus  and  Apollo,  grow  com- 
monly in  a  very  dirty  soil.  The  river  is,  in  most  places,  fifty  or  sixty  yards, 
wide,  without  spreading  much  wider  at  the  mouth.  It  is  remarkable  it  was,  ^-' 
never  known  to  ebb  and  flow  till  the  year  1713,  when  a  violent  storm  opened 
a  new  inlet,  about  five  miles  south  of  the  old  one ;  since  which  convulsion,, 
the  old  inlet  is  almost  choked  up  by  the  shifting  of  the  sand,  and  grows  both 
narrower  and  shoaler  every  day. 

It  was  dark  before  we  could  reach  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  our  way- 
ward stars  directed  us  to  a  miserable  cottage.  The  landlord  was  lately  re- 
moved, bag  and  baggage,  from  Maryland,  through  a  strong  antipathy  he  had 
to  work  and  paying  his  debts.  For  want  of  our  tent,  we  were  obliged  to 
shelter  ourselves  in  this  wretched  hovel,  where  we  were  almost  devoured  by 
vermin  of  various  kinds.  However,  we  were  above  complaining,  being  all 
philosophers  enough  to  improve  such  slender  distresses  into  mirth  and  good 
humour. 

5th.  The  day  being  now  come,  on  which  we  had  agreed  to  meet  the  com- 


]2  THE  HISTORY  OF 

missioners  of  North  Carolina,  we  embarked  very  early,  which  we  could  the 
easier  do,  having  no  temptation  to  stay  where  we  were.  We  shaped  our 
course  along  the  south  end  of  Knot's  island,  there  being  no  passage  open  on 
the  north.  Further  still  to  the  southward  of  us,  we  discovered  two  smaller 
islands,  that  go  by  the  names  of  Bell's  and  Church's  isles.  We  also  saw  a 
small  New  England  sloop  riding  in  the  sound,  a  little  to  the  south  of  our 
course.  She  had  come  in  at  the  new  inlet,  as  all  other  vessels  have  done 
since  the  opening  of  it.  This  navigation  is  a  little  difficult,  and  fit  only  for 
vessels  that  draw  no  more  than  ten  feet  water.  The  trade  hither  is  engrossed 
by  the  saints  of  New  England,  who  carry  off  a  great  deal  of  tobacco,  without 
troubling  themselves  with  paying  that  impertinent  duty  of  a  penny  a  pound. 

It  was  just  noon  before  we  arrived  at  Coratuck  inlet,  which  is  now  so  shal- 
low that  the  breakers  fly  over  it  with  a  horrible  sound,  and  at  the  same  time 
afford  a  very  wild  prospect.  On  the  north  side  of  the  inlet,  the  high  land 
terminated  in  a  bluff  point,  from  which  a  spit  of  land  extended  itself  towards 
the  south-east,  full  half  a  mile.  The  inlet  lies  between  that  spit  and  another 
on  the  south  of  it,  leaving  an  opening  of  not  quite  a  mile,  which  at  this  day 
is  not  practicable  for  any  vessel  whatsoever.  And  as  shallow  as  it  now  is,  it 
continues  to  fill  up  more  and  more,  both  the  wind  and  waves  rolling  in  the 
sands  from  the  eastern  shoals. 

About  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  were  joined  by  two  of  the  Carolina 
commissioners,  attended  by  Mr.  Swan,  their  surveyor.  The  other  two  were 
not  quite  so  punctual,  which  was  the  more  unlucky  for  us,  because  there 
could  be  no  sport  till  they  came.  These  gentlemen,  it  seems,  had  the  Caro- 
lina commission  in  their  keeping,  notwithstanding  which,  they  could  not  for- 
bear paying  too  much  regard  to  a  proverb — fashionable  in  their  country — not 
to  make  more  haste  than  good  speed. 

However,  that  we  who  were  punctual  might  not  spend  our  precious  time 
unprofitably,  we  took  the  several  bearings  of  the  coast.  We  also  surveyed 
part  of  the  adjacent  high  land,  which  had  scarcely  any  trees  growing  upon  it, 
but  cedars.  Among  the  shrubs,  we  were  showed  here  and  there  a  bush  of 
Carolina  tea  called  Japon,  which  is  one  species  of  the  Phylarrea.  This  is  an 
evergreen,  the  leaves  whereof  have  some  resemblance  to  tea,  but  differ  very 
widely  both  in  taste  and  flavour.  We  also  found  some  few  plants  of  the 
spired  leaf  silk  grass,  which  is  likewise  an  evergreen,  bearing  on  a  lofty  stem 
a  large  cluster  of  flowers  of  a  pale  yellow.  Of  the  leaves  of  this  plant  the 
people  thereabouts  twist  very  strong  cordage. 

A  virtuoso  might  divert  himself  here  very  well,  in  picking  up  shells  of  va- 
rious hue  and  figure,  and  amongst  the  rest,  that  species  of  conch  shell  which 
the  Indian  peak  is  made  of.  The  extremities  of  these  shells  are  blue  and  the 
rest  white,  so  that  peak  of  both  these  colours  are  drilled  out  of  one  and  the 
same  shell,  serving  the  natives  both  for  ornament  and  money,  and  are  es- 
teemed by  them  far  beyond  gold  and  silver. 

The  cedars  were  of  singular  use  to  us  in  the  absence  of  our  tent,  which 
we  had  left  with  the  rest  of  the  baggage  for  fear  of  overloading  the  periaugas. 
We  made  a  circular  hedge  of  the  branches  of  this  tree,  wrought  so  close  to- 
gether as  to  fence  us  against  the  cold  winds.  We  then  kindled  a  rousing  fire 
in  the  centre  of  it,  and  lay  round  it,  like  so  many  knights  templars.  But,  as 
comfortable  as  this  lodging  was,  the  surveyors  turned  out  about  two  in  the 
morning  to  try  the  variation  by  a  meridian  taken  from  the  north  star,  and 
found  it  to  be  somewhat  less  than  three  degrees  west. 

The  commissioners  of  the  neighbouring  colony  came  better  provided  for 
the  belly  than  the  business.  They  brought  not  above  two  men  along  with 
them  that  would  put  their  hands  to  any  thing  but  the  kettle  and  the  frying- 
pan.  These  spent  so  much  of  their  industry  that  way,  that  they  had  as  little 
spirit  as  inclination  for  work. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  13 

6th.  At  noon,  having  a  perfect  observation,  we  found  the  latitude  of  Cora- 
tuck  inlet  to  be  36  degrees  and  31  minutes. 

Whilst  we  were  busied  about  these  necessary  matters,  our  skipper  rowed 
to  an  oyster  bank  just  by,  and  loaded  his  periauga  with  oysters  as  savoury 
and  well-tasted  as  those  from  Colchester  or  Walfieet,  and  had  the  advantage 
of  them,  too,  by  being  much  larger  and  fatter. 

About  three  in  the  afternoon  the  two  lag  commissioners  arrived,  and  after  a 
few  decent  excuses  for  making  us  wait,  told  us  they  were  ready  to  enter  upon 
business  as  soon  as  we  pleased.  The  first  step  was  to  produce  our  respec- 
tive powers,  and  the  commission  from  each  governor  was  distinctly  read,  and 
copies  of  them  interchangeably  delivered. 

It  was  observed  by  our  Carolina  friends,  that  the  latter  part  of  the  Vir- 
ginia commission  had  something  in  it  a  little  too  lordly  and  positive.  In  an- 
swer to  which  we  told  them  it  was  necessary  to  make  it  thus  peremptory, 
lest  the  present  commissioners  might  go  upon  as  fruitless  an  errand  as  their 
predecessors.  The  former  commissioners  were  tied  down  to  act  in  exact  con- 
junction with  those  of  Carolina,  and  so  could  not  advance  one  step  farther, 
or  one  jot  faster,  than  they  were  pleased  to  permit  them.  The  memory  of 
that  disappointment,  therefore,  induced  the  government  of  Virginia  to  give 
fuller  powers  to  the  present  commissioners,  by  authorizing  them  to  go  on 
with  the  work  by  themselves,  in  case  those  of  Carolina  should  prove 
unreasonable,  and  refuse  to  join  with  them  in  carrying  the  business  to  exe- 
cution. And  all  this  was  done  lest  his  majesty's  gracious  intention  should 
be  frustrated  a  second  time. 

After  both  commissions  were  considered,  the  first  question  was,  where 
the  dividing  line  was  to  begin.  This  begat  a  warm  debate ;  the  Virginia 
commissioners  contending,  with  a  great  deal  of  reason,  to  begin  at  the  end  of 
the  spit  of  sand,  which  was  undoubtedly  the  north  shore  of  Coratuck  inlet. 
But  those  of  Carolina  insisted  strenuously,  that  the  point  of  high  land  ought 
rather  to  be  the  place  of  beginning,  because  that  was  fixed  and  certain, 
whereas  the  spit  of  sand  was  ever  shifting,  and  did  actually  run  out  farther 
now  than  formerly.  The  contest  lasted  some  hours,  with  great  vehemence, ' 
neither  party  receding  from  their  opinion  that  night.  But  next  morning,  Mr. 
Moseley,  to  convince  us  he  was  not  that  obstinate  perscm  he  had  been  repre- 
sented, yielded  to  our  reasons,  and  found  means  to  bring  over  his  colleagues. 

Here  we  began  already  to  reap  the  benefit  of  those  peremptory  words  in 
our  commission,  which  in  truth  added  some  weight  to  our  reasons.  Never- 
theless, because  positive  proof  was  made  by  the  oaths  of  two  credible  wit- 
nesses, that  the  spit  of  sand  had  advanced  200  yards  towards  the  inlet  since 
the  controversy  first  began,  we  were  willing  for  peace'  sake  to  make  them 
that  allowance.  Accordingly  we  fixed  our  beginning  about  that  distance 
north  of  the  inlet,  and  there  ordered  a  cedar  post  to  be  driven  deep  into  the 
sand  for  our  beginning.  While  we  continued  here,  we  were  told  that  on  the 
south  shore,  not  far  from  the  inlet,  dwelt  a  marooner,  that  modestly  called 
himself  a  hermit,  though  he  forfeited  that  name  by  suffering  a  wanton  female 
to  cohabit  with  him.  His  habitation  was  a  bowTer,  covered  with  bark  after 
the  Indian  fashion,  which  in  that  mild  situation  protected  him  pretty  well  from 
the  weather.  Like  the  ravens,  he  neither  ploughed  nor  sowed,  but  subsisted 
chiefly  upon  oysters,  which  his  handmaid  made  a  shift  to  gather  from  the  ad- 
jacent rocks.  Sometimes,  too,  for  change  of  diet,  he  sent  her  to  drive  up  the 
neighbour's  cows,  to  moisten  their  mouths  with  a  little  milk.  But  as  for  rai- 
ment, he  depended  mostly  upon  his  length  of  beard,  and  she  upon  her  length 
of  hair,  part  of  which  she  brought  decently  forward,  and  the  rest  dangled 
behind  quite  down  to  her  rump,  like  one  of  Herodotus'  East  Indian  pigmies. 

C 


14  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Thus  did  these  wretches  live  in  a  dirty  state  of  nature,  and  were  mere  Adam- 
ites, innocence  only  excepted. 

7th.  This  morning  the  surveyors  began  to  run  the  dividing  line  from  the 
cedar  post  we  had  driven  into  the  sand,  allowing  near,  three  degrees  for  the 
variation.  Without  making  this  just  allowance,  we  should  not  have  obeyed 
his  majesty's  order  in  running  a  due  west  line.  It  seems  the  former  com- 
missioners had  not  been  so  exact,  which  gave  our  friends  of  Carolina  but  too 
just  an  exception  to  their  proceedings.  The  line  cut  Dosier's  island,  consist- 
ing only  of  a  flat  sand,  with  here  and  there  an  humble  shrub  growing  upon 
it.  From  thence  it  crossed  over  a  narrow  arm  of  the  sound  into  Knot's 
island,  and  there  split  a  plantation  belonging  to  William  Harding. 

The  day  being  far  spent,  we  encamped  in  this  man's  pasture,  though  it  lay 
very  low,  and  the  season  now  inclined  people  to  aguish  distempers.  He  suf- 
fered us  to  cut  cedar  branches  for  our  enclosure,  and  other  wood  for  firing,  to 
correct  the  moist  air  and  drive  away  the  damps.  Our  landlady,  in  the  days 
of  her  youth,  it  seems,  had  been  a  laundress  in  the  Temple,  and  talked  over 
her  adventures  in  that  station,  with  as  much  pleasure  as  an  old  soldier  talks 
over  his  battles  and  distempers,  and  I  believe  with  as  many  additions  to  the 
truth.  The  soil  is  good  in  many  places  of  this  island,  and  the  extent  of  it 
pretty  large.  It  lies  in  the  form  of  a  wedge :  the  south  end  of  it  is  several 
miles  over,  but  towards  the  north  it  sharpens  into  a  point.  It  is  a  plentiful 
place  for  stock,  by  reason  of  the  wide  marshes  adjacent  to  it,  and  because  of 
its  warm  situation.  But  the  inhabitants  pay  a  little  dear  for  this  convenience, 
by  losing  as  much  blood  in  the  summer  season  by  the  infinite  number  of 
mosquitoes,  as  all  their  beef  and  pork  can  recruit  in  the  winter. 

The  sheep  are  as  large  as  in  Lincolnshire,  because  they  are  never  pinched 
by  cold  or  hunger.  The  whole  island  was  hitherto  reckoned  to  lie  in  Vir- 
ginia, but  now  our  line  has  given  the  greater  part  of  it  to  Carolina.  The 
principal  freeholder  here  is  Mr.  White,  who  keeps  open  house  for  all  travel- 
lers, that  either  debt  or  shipwreck  happens  to  cast  in  his  way. 

8th.  By  break  of  day  we  sent  away  our  largest  periauga,  with  the  bag- 
gage, round  the  south  end  of  Knot's  island,  with  orders  to  the  men  to  wait 
for  us  in  the  mouth  of  North  river.  Soon  after,  we  embarked  ourselves  on 
board  the  smaller  vessel,  with  intent,  if  possible,  to  find  a  passage  round  the 
north  end  of  the  island. 

We  found  this  navigation  very  difficult,  by  reason  of  the  continued  shoals, 
and  often  stuck  fast  aground;  for  though  the  sound  spreads  many  miles,  yet 
it  is  in  most  places  extremely  shallow,  and  requires  a  skilful  pilot  to  steer 
even  a  canoe  safe  over  it.  It  was  almost  as  hard  to  keep  our  temper,  as 
to  keep  the  channel,  in  this  provoking  situation.  But  the  most  impatient 
amongst  us  stroked  down  their  choler,  and  swallowed  their  curses,  lest,  if 
they  suffered  them  to  break  out,  they  might  sound  like  complaining,  which 
was  expressly  forbidden,  as  the  first  step  to  sedition. 

At  a  distance  we  descried  several  islands  to  the  northward  of  us,  the 
largest  of  which  goes  by  the  name  of  Cedar  island.  Our  periauga  stuck  so 
often  that  we  had  a  fair  chance  to  be  benighted  in  this  wide  water,  which 
must  certainly  have  been  our  fate,  had  we  not  luckily  spied  a  canoe  that  was 
giving  a  fortune-teller  a  cast  from  Princess  Anne  county  over  to  North  Caro- 
lina. But,  as  conjurers  are  sometimes  mistaken,  the  man  mistrusted  we  were 
officers  of  justice  in  pursuit  of  a  young  wench  he  had  carried  off  along  with 
him.  We  gave  the  canoe  chase  for  more  than  an  hour,  and  when  we  came 
up  with  her,  threatened  to  make  them  all  prisoners  unless  they  would  direct 
us  into  the  right  channel.  By  the  pilotage  of  these  people  we  rowed  up  an 
arm  of  the  sound,  called  the  Back  bay,  till  we  came  to  the  head  of  it.    There' 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  15 

we  were  stopped  by  a  miry  pocoson  full  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  through 
which  we  were  obliged  to  daggle  on  foot,  plunging  now  and  then,  though  we 
picked  our  way,  up  to  the  knees  in  mud.  At  the  end  of  this  charming  walk 
we  gained  the  terra  lirma  of  Princess  Anne  county.  In  that  dirty  condition 
we  were  afterwards  obliged  to  foot  it  two  miles,  as  far  as  John  Heath's  plan- 
tation, where  we  expected  to  meet  the  surveyors  and  the  men  who  waited 
upon  them. 

While  we  were  performing  this  tedious  voyage,  they  had  carried  the  line 
through  the  firm  land  of  Knot's  island,  where  it  was  no  more  than  half  a 
mile  wide.  After  that  they  traversed  a  large  marsh,  that  was  exceedingly 
miry,  and  extended  to  an  arm  of  the  Back  bay.  They  crossed  that  water 
in  a  canoe,  which  we  had  ordered  round  for  that  purpose,  and  then  waded 
over  another  marsh,  that  reached  quite  to  the  high  land  of  Princess  Anne. 
Both  these  marshes  together  make  a  breadth  of  five  miles,  in  which  the  men 

-j-  frequently  sank  up  to  the  middle,  without  muttering  the  least  complaint.     On 
the  contrary,  they  turned  all  these  disasters  into  merriment. 

It  was  discovered,  by  this  day's  work,  that  Knot's  island  was  improperly 
so  called,  being  in  truth  no  more  than  a  peninsula.  The  north-west  side  of 
it  is  only  divided  from  the  main  by  the  great  marsh  above-mentioned,  which 
is  seldom  totally  overflowed.  Instead  of  that,  it  might,  by  the  labour  of  a 
few  trenches,  be  drained  into  firm  meadow,  capable  of  grazing  as  many  cattle 
as  Job,  in  his  best  estate,  was  master  of.  In  the  miry  condition  in  which  it 
now  lies,  it  feeds  great  numbers  in  the  winter,  though,  when  the  weather  grows 

\  warm,  they  are  driven  thence  by  the  mighty  armies  of  mosquitoes,  which  are 
the  plague  of  the  lower  part  of  Carolina,  as  much  as  the  flies  were  formerly 
of  Egypt,  and  some  rabbins  think  those  flies  were  no  other  than  mosquitoes. 
All  the  people  in  the  neighbourhood  flocked  to  John  Heath's,  to  behold  such 
rarities  as  they  fancied  us  to  be.  The  men  left  their  beloved  chimney  cor- 
ners, the  good  women  their  spinning  wheels,  and  some,  of  more  curiosity 
than  ordinary,  rose  out  of  their  sick  beds,  to  come  and  stare  at  us.  They 
looked  upon  us  as  a  troop  of  knights  errant,  who  were  running  this  great 
risk  of  our  lives,  as  they  imagined,  for  the  public  weal ;  and  some  of  the 
gravest  of  them  questioned  much  whether  we  were  not  all  criminals,  con- 
demned to  this  dirty  work  for  offences  against  the  state.  What  puzzled 
them  most  was,  what  could  make  our  men  so  very  light-hearted  under  such 
intolerable  drudgery.  "  Ye  have  little  reason  to  be  merry,  my  masters," 
said  one  of 'them,  with  a  very  solemn  face,  "  I  fancy  the  pocoson  you  must 
struggle  with  to-morrow  will  make  you  change  your  note,  and  try  what 
metal  you  are  made  of.  Ye  are,  to  be  sure,  the  first  of  human  race  that 
ever  had  the  boldness  to  attempt  it,  and  I  dare  say  will  be  the  last.  If,  there- 
fore, you  have  any  worldly  goods  to  dispose  of,  my  advice  is  that  you  make 
your  wills  this  very  night,  for  fear  you  die  intestate  to-morrow."  But,  alas ! 
these  frightful  tales  were  so  far  from  disheartening  the  men,  that  they  served 
only  to  whet  their  resolution. 

9th.  The  surveyors  entered  early  upon  their  business  this  morning,  and 
ran  the  line  through  Mr.  Eyland's  plantation,  as  far  as  the  banks  of  ?Jorth 
river.  They  passed  over  it  in  the  periauga,  and  landed  in  Gibbs'  marsh, 
which  was  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  tolerably  firm.  They  trudged  through  this 
marsh  without  much  difficulty  as  far  as  the  high  land,  winch  promised  more 
fertility  than  any  they  had  seen  in  these  lower  parts.  But  this  firm  land 
lasted  not  long  before  they  came  upon  the  dreadful  pocoson  they  had  been 
threatened  with.  Nor  did  they  find  it  one  jot  better  than  it  had  been  painted 
to  them.  The  beavers  and  otters  had  rendered  it  quite  impassable  for  any 
creature  but  themselves. 

Our  poor  fellows  had  much  ado  to  drag  their  legs  after  them  in  this  quag- 


16  THE  HISTORY  OF 

mire,  but  disdaining  to  be  balked,  they  could  hardly  be  persuaded  from 
pressing  forward  by  the  surveyors,  who  found  it  absolutely  necessary  to 
make  a  traverse  in  the  deepest  place,  to  prevent  their  sticking  fast  in  the 
mire,  and  becoming  a  certain  prey  to  the  turkey  buzzards. 

This  horrible  day's  work  ended  two  miles  to  the  northward  of  Mr.  Mer- 
chant's plantation,  divided  from  North-west  river  by  a  narrow  swamp,  which 
is  causewayed  over.  We  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  open  field,  not  far  from 
the  house,  correcting,  by  a  fire  as  large  as  a  Roman  funeral  pile,  the  aguish 
exhalations  arising  from  the  sunken  grounds  that  surrounded  us. 

The  neck  of  land  included  betwixt  North  river  and  North-west  river,  with 
the  adjacent  marsh,  belonged  formerly  to  Governor  Gibbs,  but  since  his  decease 
to  Colonel  Bladen,  in  right  of  his  first  lady,  who  was  Mr.  Gibbs'  daughter. 
It  would  be  a  valuable  tract  of  land  in  any  country  but  North  Carolina, 
where,  for  want  of  navigation  and  commerce,  the  best  estate  affords  little 
more  than  a  coarse  subsistence. 

10th.  The  sabbath  happened  very  opportunely  to  give  some  ease  to  our 
jaded  people,  who  rested  religiously  from  every  work,  but  that  of  cooking  the 
kettle.  We  observed  very  few  corn-fields  in  our  walks,  and  those  very  small, 
which  seemed  the  stranger  to  us,  beeause  we  could  see  no  other  tokens  of 
husbandry  or  improvement.  But,  upon  further  inquiry,  we  were  given  to 
understand  people  only  made  corn  for  themselves  and  not  for  their  stocks, 
which  Know  very  well  how  to  get  their  own  living.  Both  cattle  and  hogs 
ramble  into  the  neighbouring  marshes  and  swamps,  where  they  maintain 
themselves  the  whole  winter  long,  and  are  not  fetched  home  till  the  spring. 
Thus  these  indolent  wretches,  during  one  half  of  the  year,  lose  the  advantage 
of  the  milk  of  their  cattle,  as  well  as  their  dung,  and  many  of  the  poor  crea- 
tures perish  in  the  mire,  into  the  bargain,  by  this  ill  management.  Some, 
who  pique  themselves  more  upon  industry  than  their  neighbours,  will,  now 
and  then,  in  compliment  to  their  cattle,  cut  down  a  tree  whose  limbs  are 
loaded  with  the  moss  afore-mentioned.  The  trouble  would  be  too  great  to 
climb  the  tree  in  order  to  gather  this  provender,  but  the  shortest  way  (which 
in  this  country  is  always  counted  the  best)  is  to  fell  it,  just  like  the  lazy  In- 
dians, who  do  the  same  by  such  trees  as  bear  fruit,  and  so  make  one  harvest 
for  all.  By  this  bad  husbandry  milk  is  so  scarce,  in  the  winter  season,  that 
were  a  big-bellied  woman  to  long  for  it,  she  would  lose  her  longing.  And,  in 
truth,  I  believe  this  is  often  the  case,  and  at  the  same  time  a  very  good  reason 
why  so  many  people  in  this  province  are  marked  with  a  custard  complexion. 

The  only  business  here  is  raising  of  hogs,  which  is  managed  with  the  least 
trouble,  and  affords  the  diet  they  are  most  fond  of.  The  truth  of  it  is,  the 
inhabitants  of  North  Carolina  devour  so  much  swine's  flesh,  that  it  fills  them 
full  of  gross  humours.  For  want  too  of  a  constant  supply  of  salt,  they  are 
commonly  obliged  to  eat  it  fresh,  and  that  begets  the  highest  taint  of  scurvy. 
Thus,  whenever  a  severe  cold  happens  to  constitutions  thus  vitiated,  it  is  apt 
to  improve  into  the  yaws,  called  there  very  justly  the  country  distemper. 
This  has  all  the  symptoms  of  syphilis,  with  this  aggravation,  that  no  prepara- 
tion of  mercury  will  touch  it.  First  it  seizes  the  throat,  next  the  palate,  and 
lastly  shows  its  spite  to  the  poor  nose,  of  which  it  is  apt  in  a  small  time 
treacherously  to  undermine  the  foundation.  This  calamity  is  so  common  and 
familiar  here,  that  it  ceases  to  be  a  scandal,  and  in  the  disputes  that  happen 
about  beauty,  the  noses  have  in  some  companies  much  ado  to  carry  it.  Nay, 
it  is  said  that  once,  after  three  good  pork  years,  a  motion  had  like  to  have 
been  made  in  the  house  of  burgesses,  that  a  man  with  a  nose  should  be  inca- 
pable of  holding  any  place  of  profit  in  the  province ;  which  extraordinary  mo- 
tion could  never  have  been  intended  without  some  hopes  of  a  majority. 

Thus,  considering  the  foul  and  pernicious  effects  of  eating  swine's  flesh  in 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE,  J  7 

a  hot  country,  it  was  wisely  forbidden  and  made  an  abomination  to  the  Jews, 
who  lived  much  in  the  same  latitude  with  Carolina. 

1 1th.  We  ordered  the  surveyors  early  to  their  business,  who  were  blessed 
with  pretty  dry  grounds  for  three  miles  together.  But  they  paid  dear  for  it 
in  the  next  two,  consisting  of  one  continued  frightful  pocoson,  which  no 
creatures  but  those  of  the  amphibious  kind  ever  had  ventured  into  before. 
This  filthy  quagmire  did  in  earnest  put  the  men's  courage  to  a  trial,  and 
though  I  cannot  say  it  made  them  lose  their  patience,  yet  they  lost  their 
humour  for  joking.  They  kept  their  gravity  like  so  many  Spaniards,  so  that 
a  man  might  then  have  taken  his  opportunity  to  plunge  up  to  the  chin,  with- 
out danger  of  being  laughed  at.  However,  this  unusual  composure  of  coun- 
tenance could  not  fairly  be  called  complaining.  Their  day's  work  ended  at 
the  mouth  of  Northern's  creek,  which  empties  itself  into  North-west  river ; 
though  we  chose  to  quarter  a  little  higher  up  the  river,  near  Mossy  point. 
This  we  did  for  the  convenience  of  an  old  house  to  shelter  our  persons  and 
baggage  from  the  rain,  which  threatened  us  hard.  We  judged  the  thing  right, 
for  there  fell  a  heavy  shower  in  the  night,  that  drove  the  most  hardy  of  us 
into  the  house.  Though,  indeed,  our  case  was  not  much  mended  by  retreat- 
ing thither,  because  that  tenement  having  not  long  before  been  used  as  a 
pork  store,  the  moisture  of  the  air  dissolved  the  salt  that  lay  scattered  on  the 
floor,  and  made  it  as  wet  within  doors  as  without.  However,  the  swamps 
and  marshes  we  were  lately  accustomed  to  had  made  such  beavers  and 
otters  of  us  that  nobody  caught  the  least  cold.  We  had  encamped  so  early, 
that  we  found  time  in  the  evening  to  walk  near  half  a  mile  into  the  woods. 
There  we  came  upon  a  family  of  mulattoes  that  called  themselves  free,  though 
by  the  shyness  of  the  master  of  the  house,  who  took  care  to  keep  least  in 
t  sight,  their  freedom  seemed  a  little  doubtful.  It  is  certain  many  slaves  shelter 
1  themselves  in  this  obscure  part  of  the  world,  nor  will  any  of  their  righteous- 
neighbours  discover  them.  On  the  contrary,  they  find  their  account  in  set- 
tling such  fugitives  on  some  out-of-the-way  corner  of  their  land,  to  raise- 
stocks  for  a  mean  and  inconsiderable  share,  well  knowing  their  condition 
makes  it  necessary  for  them  to  submit  to  any  terms.  Nor  were  these  worthy 
borderers  content  to  shelter  runaway  slaves,  but  debtors  and  criminals  have- 
often  met  with  the  like  indulgence.  But  if  the  government  of  North  Carolina 
has  encouraged  this  unneighbourly  policy  in  order  to  increase  their  peopleT 
it  is  no  more  than  what  ancient  Rome  did  before  them,  which  was  made  a 
city  of  refuge  for  all  debtors  and  fugitives,  and  from  that  wretched  beginning- 
grew  up  in  time  to  be  mistress  of  a  great  part  of  the  world.  And,  consider- 
ing how  fortune  delights  in  bringing  great  things  out  of  small,  who  knows 
but  Carolina  may,  one  time  or  other,  come  to  be  the  seat  of  some  other  great 
empire  1 

12th.  Every  thing  had  been  so  soaked  with  the  rain,  that  we  were  obliged 
to  lie  by  a  good  part  of  the  morning  and  dry  them.  However,  that  time  was 
not  lost,  because  it  gave  the  surveyors  an  opportunity  of  platting  off  their 
work  and  taking  the  course  of  the  river.  It  likewise  helped  to  recruit  the 
spirits  of  the  men,  who  had  been  a  little  harassed  with  yesterday's  march. 
Notwithstanding  all  this,  we  crossed  the  river  before  noon,  and  advanced  our 
line  three  miles.  It  was  not  possible  to  make  more  of  it,  by  reason  good 
part  of  the  way  was  either  marsh  or  pocoson.  The  line  cut  two  or  three 
plantations,  leaving  part  of  them  in  Virginia,  and  part  of  them  in  Carolina. 
This  was  a  case  that  happened  frequently,  to  the  great  inconvenience  of  the 
owners,  who  were  therefore  obliged  to  take  out  two  patents  and  pay  for  a 
new  survey  in  each  government.  In  the  evening,  we  took  up  our  quarters 
in  Mr.  Ballance's  pasture,  a  little  above  the  bridge  built  over  North-west 
river.     There  we  discharged  the  two  periaugas,  which  in  truth  had  been 


18  THE  HISTORY  OF 

very  serviceable  in  transporting  us  over  the  many  waters  in  that  dirty  and 
difficult  part  of  our  business.  Our  landlord  had  a  tolerable  good  house  and 
clean  furniture,  and  yet  we  could  not  be  tempted  to  lodge  in  it.  We  chose 
rather  to  lie  in  the  open  field,  for  fear  of  growing  too  tender.  A  clear  sky, 
spangled  with  stars,  was  our  canopy,  which  being  the  last  thing  we  saw  be- 
fore we  fell  asleep,  gave  us  magnificent  dreams.  The  truth  of  it  is,  we  took 
y  so  much  pleasure  in  that  natural  kind  of  lodging,  that  I  think  at  the  foot  of 
the  account  mankind  are  great  losers  by  the  luxury  of  feather  beds  and 
warm  apartments. 

The  curiosity  of  beholding  so  new  and  withal  so  sweet  a  method  of  en- 
camping, brought  one  of  the  senators  of  North  Carolina  to  make  us  a  mid- 
night visit.  But  he  was  so  very  clamorous  in  his  commendations  of  it,  that 
the  sentinel,  not  seeing  his  quality,  either  through  his  habit  or  behaviour,  had 
(^  like  to  have  treated  him  roughly.  After  excusing  the  unseasonableness  of 
-  -_Jiis  visit,  and  letting  us  know  he  was  a  parliament  man,  he  swore  he  was  so 
taken  with  our  lodging,  that  he  would  set  fire  to'his  house  as  soon  as  he  got 
home,  and  teach  his  wife  and  children  to  lie,  like  us,  in  the  open  field. 

13th.  Early  this  morning  our  chaplain  repaired  to  us  with  the  men  we  had 
left  at  Mr.  Wilson's.  We  had  sent  for  them  the  evening  before  to  relieve* 
those  who  had  the  labour-oar  from  Coratuck  inlet.  But  to  our  great  surprise, 
they  petitioned  not  to  be  relieved,  hoping  to  gain  immortal  reputation  by  be- 
ing the  first  of  mankind  that  ventured  through  the  great  Dismal.  But  the 
rest  being  equally  ambitious  of  the  same  honour,  it  was  but  fair  to  decide 
their  pretensions  by  lot.  After  fortune  had  declared  herself,  those  which  she 
had  excluded  offered  money  to  the  happy  persons  to  go  in  their  stead.  But 
Hercules  would  have  as  soon  sold  the  glory  of  cleansing  the  Augean  stables, 
which  was  pretty  near  the  same  sort  of  work.  No  sooner  was  the  contro- 
versy at  an  end,  but  we  sent  those  unfortunate  fellows  back  to  their  quarters, 
whom  chance  had  condemned  to  remain  upon  firm  land  and  sleep  in  a  whole 
skin.  In  the  mean  while  the  surveyors  carried  the  line  three  miles,  which 
was  no  contemptible  day's  work,  considering  how  cruelly  they  were  entan- 
gled with  briers  and  gall  bushes.  The  leaf  of  this  last  shrub  bespeaks  it  to 
be  of  the  alaternus  family. 

Our  work  ended  within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  Dismal  above-mentioned, 
where  the  ground  began  to  be  already  full  of  sunken  holes  and  slashes,  which 
had,  here  and  there,  some  few  reeds  growing  in  them.  It  is  hardly  credible 
how  little  the  bordering  inhabitants  were  acquainted  with  this  mighty  swamp, 
notwithstanding  they  had  lived  their  whole  lives  within  smell  of  it.  Yet,  as 
great  strangers  as  they  were  to  it,  they  pretended  to  be  very  exact  in  their 
account  of  its  dimensions,  and  were  positive  it  could  not  be  above  seven  or 
eight  miles  wide,  but  knew  no  more  of  the  matter  than  star-gazers  know  of 
the  distance  of  the  fixed  stars.  At  the  same  time,  they  were  simple  enough 
to  amuse  our  men  with  idle  stories  of  the  lions,  panthers  and  alligators,  they 
were  like  to  encounter  in  that  dreadful  place.  In  short,  we  saw  plainly  there 
was  no  intelligence  of  this  terra  incognita  to  be  got,  but  from  our  own  ex- 
perience. For  that  reason  it  was  resolved  to  make  the  requisite  dispositions 
to  enter  it  next  morning.  We  allotted  every  one  of  the  surveyors  for  this 
painful  enterprise,  with  twelve  men  to  attend  them.  Fewer  than  that  could 
not  be  employed  in  clearing  the  way,  carrying  the  chain,  marking  the  trees, 
and  bearing  the  necessary  bedding  and  provisions.  Nor  would  the  commis- 
sioners themselves  have  spared  their  persons  on  this  occasion,  but  for  fear  of 
adding  to  the  poor  men's  burthen,  while  they  were  certain  they  could  add 
nothing  to  their  resolution. 

We  quartered  with  our  friend  and  fellow  traveller,  William  Wilkins,  who 
had  been  our  faithful  pilot  to  Coratuck,  and  lived  about  a  mile  from  the  place 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  \Q 

where  the  line  ended.  Every  thing  looked  so  very  clean,  and  the  furniture 
so  neat,  that  we  were  tempted  to  lodge  within  doors.  But  the  novelty  of 
being  shut  up  so  close  quite  spoiled  our  rest,  nor  did  we  breathe  so  free  by 
abundance,  as  when  we  lay  in  the  open  air. 

14th.  Before  nine  of  the  clock  this  morning,  the  provisions,  bedding  and 
other  necessaries,  were  made  up  into  packs  for  the  men  to  carry  on  their 
shoulders  into  the  Dismal.  They  were  victualled  for  eight  days  at  full  allow- 
ance, nobody  doubting  but  that  would  be  abundantly  sufficient  to  carry  them 
>  through  that  inhospitable  place ;  nor  indeed  was  it  possible  for  the  poor  fel- 
lows to  stagger  under  more.  As  it  was,  their  loads  weighed  from  60  to  70 
pounds,  in  just  proportion  to  the  strength  of  those  who  were  to  bear  them. 

-    It  would  have  been  unconscionable  to  have  saddled  them  with  burthens 
heavier  than  that,  when  they  were  to  lug  them  through  a  filthy  bog,  which 

,  was  hardly  practicable  with  no  burthen  at  all.  Besides  this  luggage  at  their 
backs,  they  were  obliged  to  measure  "the  distance,  mark  the  trees,  and  clear 
the  way  for  the  surveyors  every  step  they  went.  It  was  really  a  pleasure  to 
see  with  how  much  cheerfulness  they  undertook,  and  with  how  much  spirit 
they  went  through  all  this  drudgery.  For  their  greater  safety,  the  commis- 
sioners took  care  to  furnish  them  with  Peruvian  bark,  rhubarb  and  hipocoa- 
canah,  in  case  they  might  happen,  in  that  wet  journey,  to  be  taken  with  fevers 
or  fluxes.  Although  there  was  no  need  of  example  to  inflame  persons  al- 
ready so  cheerful,  yet  to  enter  the  people  with  the  better  grace,  the  author 
and  two  more  of  the  commissioners  accompanied  them  half  a  mile  into  the 
Dismal.  The  skirts  of  it  were  thinly  planted  with  dwarf  reeds  and  gall 
bushes,  but  when  we  got  into  the  Dismal  itself,  we  found  the  reeds  grew  there 
much  taller  and  closer,  and,  to  mend  the  matter,  were  so  interlaced  with 
bamboo-briers,  that  there  was  no  scuffling  through  them  without  the  help  of 
pioneers.  At  the  same  time,  we  found  the  ground  moist  and  trembling  under 
our  feet  like  a  quagmire,  insomuch  that  it  was  an  easy  matter  to  run  a  ten- 
foot  pole  up  to  the  head  in  it,  without  exerting  any  uncommon  strength  to  do 
it.  Two  of  the  men,  whose  burthens  were  the  least  cumbersome,  had  orders 
to  march  before,  with  their  tomahawks,  and  clear  the  way,  in  order  to  make 
an  opening  for  the  surveyors.  By  their  assistance  we  made  a  shift  to  push 
the  line  half  a  mile  in  three  hours,  and  then  reached  a  small  piece  of  firm 
land,  about  100  yards  wide,  standing  up  above  the  rest  like  an  island.  Here 
the  people  were  glad  to  lay  down  their  loads  and  take  a  little  refreshment, 
,  while  the  happy  man,  whose  lot  it  was  to  carry  the  jug  of  rum,  began  alrea- 
dy, like  iEsop's  bread-carriers,  to  find  it  grow  a  good  deal  lighter. 

After  reposing  about  an  hour,  the  commissioners  recommended  vigour  and 
constancy  to  their  fellow-travellers,  by  whom  they  were  answered  with  three 
cheerful  huzzas,  in  token  of  obedience.  This  ceremony  was  no  sooner  over 
but  they  took  up  their  burthens  and  attended  the  motion  of  the  surveyors, 
who,  though  they  worked  with  all  their  might,  could  reach  but  one  mile  far- 
ther, the  same  obstacles  still  attending  them  which  they  had  met  with  in  the 
morning.  However  small  this  distance  may  seem  to  such  as  are  used  to 
travel  at  their  ease,  yet  our  poor  men,  who  were  obliged  to  work  with  an 
unwieldy  load  at  their  backs,  had  reason  to  think  it  a  long  way ;  especially 
in  a  bog  where  they  had  no  firm  footing,  but  every  step  made  a  deep  impres- 
sion, which  was  instantly  filled  with  water.  At  the  same  time  they  were 
labouring  with  their  hands  to  cut  down  the  reeds,  which  were  ten  feet  high, 
their  legs  were  hampered  with  the  briers.  Besides,  the  weather  happened  to 
be  warm,  and  the  tallness  of  the  reeds  kept  off  every  friendly  breeze  from 
coming  to  refresh  them.  And,  indeed,  it  was  a  little  provoking  to  hear  the 
wind  whistling  among  the  branches  of  the  white  cedars,  which  grew  here 
and  there  amongst  the  reeds,  and  at  the  same  time  not  to  have  the  comfort  to 
feel  the  least  breath  of  it. 


20  THE  HISTORY  OF 

In  the  mean  time  the  three  commissioners  returned  out  of  the  Dismal  the 
same  way  they  went  in,  and,  having  joined  their  brethren,  proceeded  that 
night  as  far  as  Mr.  Wilson's.  This  worthy  person  lives  within  sight  of  the 
Dismal,  in  the  skirts  whereof  his  stocks  range  and  maintain  themselves  all 
the  winter,  and  yet  he  knew  as  little  of  it  as  he  did  of  Terra  Australis  Incog- 
nita. He  told  us  a  Canterbury  tale  of  a  North  Briton,  whose  curiosity  spur- 
red him  a  long  way  into  this  great  desert,  as  he  called  it,  near  twenty  years 
ago,  but  he  having  no  compass,  nor  seeing  the  sun  for  several  days  together, 
wandered  about  till  he  was  almost  famished ;  but  at  last  he  bethought  himself 
of  a  secret  his  countrymen  make  use  of  to  pilot  themselves  in  a  dark  day. 
He  took  a  fat  louse  out  of  his  collar,  and  exposed  it  to  the  open  day  on  a 
piece  of  white  paper,  which  he  brought  along  with  him  for  his  journal.  The 
poor  insect,  having  no  eye-lids,  turned  himself  about  till  he  found  the  darkest 
part  of  the  heavens,  and  so  made  the  best  of  his  way  towards  the  north. 
By  this  direction  he  steered  himself  safe  out,  and  gave  such  a  frightful  ac- 
count of  the  monsters  he  saw,  and  the  distresses  he  underwent,  that  no  mor- 
tal since  has  been  hardy  enough  to  go  upon  the  like  dangerous  discovery. 

15th.  The  surveyors  pursued  their  work  with  all  diligence,  but  still  found 
the  soil  of  the  Dismal  so  spongy  that  the  water  oozed  up  into  every  footstep 
they  took.  To  their  sorrow,  too,  they  found  the  reeds  and  briers  more  firmly 
interwoven  than  they  did  the  day  before.  But  the  greatest  grievance  was 
from  large  cypresses,  which  the  wind  had  blown  down  and  heaped  upon  one 
another.  On  the  limbs  of  most  of  them  grew  sharp  snags,  pointing  every 
way  like  so  many  pikes,  that  required  much  pains  and  caution  to  avoid. 
These  trees  being  evergreens,  and  shooting  their  large  tops  very  high,  are 
easily  overset  by  every  gust  of  wind,  because  there  is  no  firm  earth  to  steady 
their  roots.  Thus  many  of  them  were  laid  prostrate,  to  the  great  encum- 
brance of  the  way.  Such  variety  of  difficulties  made  the  business  go  on 
heavily,  insomuch  that,  from  morning  till  night,  the  line  could  advance  no  far- 
ther than  one  mile  and  thirty-one  poles.  Never  was  rum,  that  cordial  of  life, 
found  more  necessary  than  it  was  in  this  dirty  place.  It  did  not  only  recruit 
the  people's  spirits,  now  almost  jaded  with  fatigue,  but  served  to  correct  the 
badness  of  the  water,  and  at  the  same  time  to  resist  the  malignity  of  the  air. 
Whenever  the  men  wanted  to  drink,  which  was  very  often,  they  had  nothing 
more  to  do  but  to  make  a  hole,  and  the  water  bubbled  up  in  a  moment.  But 
"it  was  far  from  being  either  clear  or  well  tasted,  and  had  besides  a  physical 
-effect,  from  the  tincture  it  received  from  the  roots  of  the  shrubs  and  trees 
that  grew  in  the  neighbourhood. 

While  the  surveyors  were  thus  painfully  employed,  the  commissioners  dis- 
charged the  long  score  they  had  with  Mr.  Wilson,  for  the  men  and  horses 
which  had  been  quartered  upon  him  during  our  expedition  to  Coratuck. 
From  thence  we  marched  in  good  order  along  the  east  side  of  the  Dismal, 
and  passed  the  long  bridge  that  lies  over  the  south  branch  of  Elizabeth  river. 
At  the  end  of  18  miles  we  reached  Timothy  Ivy's  plantation,  where  we  pitch- 
ed our  tent  for  the  first  time,  and  were  furnished  with  every  thing  the  place 
afforded.  We  perceived  the  happy  effects  of  industry  in  this  family,  in  which 
every  one  looked  tidy  and  clean,  and  carried  in  their  countenances  the  cheer- 
ful marks  of  plenty.  We  saw  no  drones  there,  which  are  but  too  common, 
alas,  in  that  part  of  the  world.  Though,  in  truth,  the  distemper  of  laziness 
seizes  the  men  oftener  much  than  the  women.  These  last  spin,  weave  and 
knit,  all  with  their  own  hands,  while  their  husbands,  depending  on  the  bounty  of 
the  climate,  are  slothful  in  every  thing  but  getting  of  children,  and  in 
that  only  instance  make  themselves  useful  members  of  an  infant  colony. 

There  is  but  little  wool  in  that  province,  though  cotton  grows  very  kindly, 
and,  so  far  south,  is  seldom  nipped  by  the  frost.     The  good  women  mix  this 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  21 

with  their  wool  for  their  outer  garments ;  though,  for  want  of  fulling,  that 
kind  of  manufacture  is  open  and  sleazy.  Flax  likewise  thrives  there  ex- 
tremely, being  perhaps  as  fine  as  any  in  the  world,  and  I  question  not  might, 
with  a  little  care,  be  brought  to  rival  that  of  Egypt ;  and  yet  the  men  are 
here  so  intolerably  lazy,  they  seldom  take  the  trouble  to  propagate  it. 

16th.  The  line  was  this  day  carried  one  mile  and  a  half  and  sixteen  poles. 
The  soil  continued  soft  and  miry,  but  fuller  of  trees,  especially  white  cedars. 
Many  of  these  too  were  thrown  down  and  piled  in  heaps,  high  enough  for  a 
good  Muscovite  fortification.  The  worst  of  it  was,  the  poor  fellows  began 
now  to  be  troubled  with  fluxes,  occasioned  by  bad  water  and  moist  lodging : 
but  chewing  of  rhubarb  kept  that  malady  within  bounds. 

In  the  mean  time  the  commissioners  decamped  early  in  the  morning,  and 
made  a  march  of  twenty-five  miles,  as  far  as  Mr.  Andrew  Mead's,  who  lives  upon 
Nansemond  river.  They  were  no  sooner  got  under  the  shelter  of  that  hos- 
pitable roof,  but  it  began  to  rain  hard,  and  continued  so  to  do  great  part  of 
the  night.  This  gave  them  much  pain  for  their  friends  in  the  Dismal,  whose 
sufferings  spoiled  their  taste  for  the  good  cheer,  wherewith  they  were  enter- 
tained themselves.  However,  late  that  evening,  these  poor  men  had  the  for- 
tune to  come  upon  another  terra  firma,  which  was  the  luckier  for  them,  be- 
cause the  lower  ground,  by  the  rain  that  fell,  was  made  a  fitter  lodging  for 
tadpoles  than  men.  In  our  journey  we  remarked  that  the  north  side  of  this 
great  swamp  lies  higher  than  either  the  east  or  the  west,  nor  were  the  ap- 
proaches to  it  so  full  of  sunken  grounds.  We  passed  by  no  less  than  two 
quaker  meeting  houses,  one  of  which  had  an  awkward  ornament  on  the  west 
end  of  it,  that  seemed  to  ape  a  steeple.  I  must  own  I  expected  no  such  piece 
of  foppery  from  a  sect  of  so  much  outside  simplicity.  That  persuasion  pre- 
vails much  in  the  lower  end  of  Nansemond  county,  for  want  of  ministers  to 
pilot  the  people  a  decenter  way  to  heaven.  The  ill  reputation  of  tobacco 
planted  in  those  lower  parishes  makes  the  clergy  unwilling  to  accept  of  them, 
unless  it  be  such  whose  abilities  are  as  mean  as  their  pay.  Thus,  whether 
the  churches  be  quite  void  or  but  indifferently  filled,  the  quakers  will  have  an 
opportunity  of  gaining  proselytes.  It  is  a  wonder  no  popish  missionaries  are 
sent  from  Maryland  to  labour  in  this  neglected  vineyard,  who  we  know  have 
zeal  enough  to  traverse  sea  and  land  on  the  meritorious  errand  of  making 
converts.  Nor  is  it  less  strange  that  some  wolf  in  sheep's  clothing  arrives 
not  from  New  England  to  lead  astray  a  flock  that  has  no  shepherd.  People 
uninstructed  in  any  religion  are  ready  to  embrace  the  first  that  offers.  It  is 
natural  for  helpless  man  to  adore  his  Maker  in  some  form  or  other,  and  were 
there  any  exception  to  this  rifle,  I  should  suspect  it  to  be  among  the  Hotten- 
tots of  the  cape  of  Good  Hope  and  of  North  Carolina. 

There  fell  a  great  deal  of  rain  in  the  night,  accompanied  with  a  strong 
wind.  The  fellow-feeling  we  had  for  the  poor  Dismalites,  on  account  of  this 
unkind  weather,  rendered  the  down  we  laid  upon  uneasy.  We  fancied  them 
half-drowned  in  their  wet  lodging,  with  the  trees  blowing  down  about  their 
ears.  These  were  the  gloomy  images  our  fears  suggested ;  though  it  was 
so  much  uneasiness  clear  gain.  They  happened  to  come  off  much  better,  by 
being  luckily  encamped  on  the  dry  piece  of  ground  afore-mentioned. 

17th.  They  were,  however,  forced  to  keep  the  sabbath  in  spite  of  their 
teeth,  contrary  to  the  dispensation  our  good  chaplain  had  given  them.  In- 
deed, their  short  allowance  of  provision  would  have  justified  their  making 
the  best  of  their  way,  without  distinction  of  days.  It  was  certainly  a  work 
both  of  necessity  and  self-preservation,  to  save  themselves  from  starving. 
Nevertheless,  the  hard  rain  had  made  every  thing  st>  thoroughly  wet,  that  it 
was  quite  impossible  to  do  any  business.  They  therefore  made  a  virtue  of 
what  they  could  not  help,  and  contentedly  rested  in  their  dry  situation. 

D 


C^ 


22  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Since  the  surveyors  had  entered  the  Dismal,  they  had  laid  eyes  on  no  living 
creature :  neither  bird  nor  beast,  insect  nor  reptile  came  in  view.  Doubtless, 
the  eternal  shade  that  broods  over  this  mighty  bog,  and  hinders  the  sun- 
beams from  blessing  the  ground,  makes  it  an  uncomfortable  habitation  for 
any  thing  that  has  life.  Not  so  much  as  a  Zealand  frog  could  endure  so 
aguish  a  situation.  It  had  one  beauty,  however,  that  delighted  the  eye, 
though  at  the  expense  of  all  the  other  senses :  the  moisture  of  the  soil  pre- 
serves a  continual  verdure,  and  makes  every  plant  an  evergreen!  but  at  the 
same  time  the  foul  damps  ascend  without  ceasing,  corrupt  the  air,  and  ren- 
der it  unfit  for  respiration.  Not  even  a  turkey  buzzard  will  venture  to  fly 
over  it,  no  more  than  the  Italian  vultures  will  over  the  filthy  lake  Avernus,  or 
the  birds  in  the  Holy  Land,  over  the  Salt  sea,  where  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
-    formerly  stood. 

In  these  sad  circumstances,  the  kindest  thing  we  could  do  for  our  suffering 
friends  was  to  give  them  a  place  in  the  Litany.  Our  chaplain,  for  his  part, 
did  his  office,  and  rubbed  us  up  with  a  seasonable  sermon.  This  was  quite 
a  new  thing  to  our  brethren  of  North  Carolina,  who  live  in  a  climate  where 
no  clergyman  can  breathe,  any  more  than  spiders  in  Ireland. 

For  want  of  men  in  holy  orders,  both  the  members  of  the  council  and 
justices  of  the  peace  are  empowered  by  the  laws  of  that  country  to  marry 
all  those  who  will  not  take  one  another's  word ;  but  for  the  ceremony  of 
christening  their  children,  they  trust  that  to  chance.  If  a  parson  come  in 
their  way,  they  will  crave  a  cast  of  his  office,  as  they  call  it,  else  they  are 
content  their  offspring  should  remain  as  arrant  pagans  as  themselves.  They 
account  it  among  their  greatest  advantages  that  they  are  not  priest-ridden, 
not  remembering  that  the  clergy  is  rarely  guilty  of  bestriding  such  as  have 
the  misfortune  to  be  poor.  One  thing  may  be  said  for  the  inhabitants  of  that 
province,  that  they  are  not  troubled  with  any  religious  fumes,  and  have  the 
least  superstition  of  any  people  living.  They  do  not  know  Sunday  from  any 
other  day,  any  more  than  Robinson  Crusoe  did,  which  would  give  them  a 
great  advantage  were  they  given  to  be  industrious.  But  they  keep  so  many 
sabbaths  every  week,  that  their  disregard  of  the  seventh  day  has  no  manner 
/  of  cruelty  in  it,  either  to  servants  or  cattle.  It  was  with  some  difficulty  we 
could  make  our  people  quit  the  good  cheer  they  met  with  at  this  house,  so  it 
was  late  before  we  took  our  departure ;  but  to  make  us  amends,  our  landlord 
was  so  good  as  to  conduct  us  ten  miles  on  our  way,  as  far  as  the  Cypress 
'  swamp,  which  drains  itself  into  the  Dismal.  Eight  miles  beyond  that  we 
forded  the  waters  of  the  Coropeak,  which  tend  the  same  way  as  do  many 
others  on  that  side.  In  six  miles  more  we*  reached  the  plantation  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Spight,  a  grandee  of  North  Carolina.  We  found  the  good  man  upon 
his  crutches,  being  crippled  with  the  gout  in  both  his  knees.  Here  we  flat- 
tered ourselves  we  should  by  this  time  meet  with  good  tidings  of  the  survey- 
ors, but  had  reckoned,  alas  !  without  our  host :  on  the  contrary,  we  were  told 
the  Dismal  was  at  least  thirty  miles  wide  in  that  place.  However,  as  nobody 
could  say  this  on  his  own  knowledge,  we  ordered  guns  to  be  fired  and  a  drum 
to  be  beaten,  but  received  no  answer,  unless  it  was  from  that  prating  nymph 
Echo,  who,  like  a  loquacious  wife,  will  always  have  the  last  word,  and  some- 
times return  three  for  one.  It  was  indeed  no  wonder  our  signal  was  not 
heard  at  that  time,  by  the  people  in  the  Dismal,  because,  in  truth,  they  had 
not  then  penetrated  one  third  of  their  way.  They  had  that  morning  fallen 
to  work  with  great  vigour;  and,  finding  the  ground  better, than  ordinary, 
drove  on  the  line  two  miles  and  thirty-eight  poles.  This  was  reckoned  an 
Herculean  day's  work,  and  yet  they  would  not  have  stopped  there,  had  not 
an  impenetrable  cedar  thicket  checked  their  industry.  Our  landlord  had 
seated  himself  on  the  borders  of  this  Dismal,  for  the  advantage  of  the  green 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  23 

food  his  cattle  find  there  all  winter,  and  for  the  rooting  that  supports  his  hogs. 
This,  I  own,  is  some  convenience  to  his  purse,  for  which  his  whole  family  pay- 
dear  in  their  persons,  for  they  are  devoured  by  mosquitoes  all  the  summer, 
and  have  agues  every  spring  and  fall,  which  corrupt  all  the  juices  of  their 
bodies,  give  them  a  cadaverous  complexion,  and  besides  a  lazy,  creeping  habit, 
which  they  never  get  rid  of. 

We  ordered  several  men  to  patrol  on  the  edge  of  the  Dismal,  both  towards 
the  north  and  towards  the  south,  and  to  fire  guns  at  proper  distances.  This 
they  performed  very  punctually,  but  could  hear  nothing  in  return,  nor  gain 
any  sort  of  intelligence.  In  the  mean  time  whole  flocks  of  women  and  child- 
ren flew  hither  to  stare  at  us,  with  as  much  curiosity  as  if  we  had  lately 
landed  from  Bantam  or  Morocco.  Some  borderers,  too,  had  a  great  mind 
to  know  where  the  line  would  come  out,  being  for  the  most  part  apprehensive 
lest  their  lands  should  be  taken  into  Virginia.  In  that  case  they  must  have 
submitted  to  some  sort  of  order  and  government ;  whereas,  in  North  Carolina, 
every  one  does  what  seems  best  in  his  own  eyes.  There  were  some  good 
women  that  brought  their  children  to  be  baptized,  but  brought  no  capons 
along  with  them  to  make  the  solemnity  cheerful.  In  the  mean  time  it  was 
strange  that  none  came  to  be  married  in  such  a  multitude,  if  it  had  only  been 
for  the  novelty  of  having  their  hands  joined  by  one  in  holy  orders.  Yet  so 
it  was,  that  though  our  chaplain  christened  above  a  hundred,  he  did  not 
marry  so  much  as  one  couple  during  the  whole  expedition.  But  marriage  is 
reckoned  a  lay  contract  in  Carolina,  as  I  said  before,  and  a  country  justice 
can  tie  the  fatal  knot  there,  as  fast  as  an  archbishop.  None  of  our  visiters 
could,  however,  tell  us  any  news  of  the  surveyors,  nor  indeed  was  it  possible 
any  of  them  should  at  that  time,  they  being  still  laboring  in  the  midst  of  the 
Dismal.  It  seems  they  were  able  to  carry  the  link  this  day  no  further  than 
one  mile  and  sixty-one  poles,  and  that  whole  distance  was  through  a  miry 
cedar  bog,  where  the  ground  trembled  under  their  feet  most  frightfully.  In 
many  places  too  their  passage  was  retarded  by  a  great  number  of  fallen  trees, 
that  lay  horsing  upon  one  another.  Though  many  circumstances  concurred 
to  make  this  an  unwholesome  situation,  yet  the  poor  men  had  no  time  to  be 
sick,  nor  can  one  conceive  a  more  calamitous  case  than  it  would  have  been 
to  be  laid  up  in  that  uncomfortable  quagmire.  Never  were  patients  more 
tractable,  or  willing  to  take  physic,  than  these  honest  fellows ;  but  it  was  from 
a  dread  of  laying  their  bones  in  a  bog  that  would  soon  spew  them  up  again. 
That  consideration  also  put  them  upon  more  caution  about  their  lodging. 
They  first  covered  the  ground  with  square  pieces  of  cypress  bark,  which 
now,  in  the  spring,  they  could  easily  slip  off  the  tree  for  that  purpose.  On 
this  they  spread  their  bedding ;  but  unhappily  the  weight  and  warmth  of  their 
bodies  made  the  water  rise  up  betwixt  the  joints  of  the  bark,  to  their  great 
inconvenience.  Thus  they  lay  not  only  moist,  but  also  exceedingly  cold,  be- 
cause their  fires  were  continually  going  out.  For  no  sooner  was  the  trash 
upon  the  surface  burnt  away,  but  immediately  the  fire  was  extinguished  by 
the  moisture  of  the  soil,  insomuch  that  it  was  great  part  of  the  sentinel's  busi- 
ness to  rekindle  it  again  in  a  fresh  place,  every  quarter  of  an  hour.  Nor 
could  they  indeed  do  their  duty  better,  because  cold  was  the  only  enemy  they 
had  to  guard  against  in  a  miserable  morass,  where  nothing  can  inhabit. 

20th.  We  could  get  no  tidings  yet  of  our  brave  adventurers,  notwithstand- 
ing we  despatched  men  to  the  likeliest  stations  to  inquire  after  them.  They 
were  still  scuffling  in  the  mire,  and  could  not  possibly  forward  the  line  this 
whole  day  more  than  one  mile  and  sixty -four  chains.  Every  step  of  this  day's 
work  was  through  a  cedar  bog,  where  the  trees  were  somewhat  smaller  and 
grew  more  into  a  thicket.  It  was  now  a  great  misfortune  to  the  men  to  find 
their  provisions  grow  less  as  their  labour  grew  greater ;  they  were  all  forced 


24  THE  HISTORY  OF 

to  come  to  short  allowance,  and  consequently  to  work  hard  without  filling 
their  bellies.  Though  this  was  very  severe  upon  English  stomachs,  yet  the 
people  were  so  far  from  being  discomfited  at  it,  that  they  still  kept  up  their 
good  humour,  and  merrily  told  a  young  fellow  in  the  company,  who  looked 
very  plump  and  wholesome,  that  he  must  expect  to  go  first  to  pot,  if  matters 
should  come  to  extremity.  This  was  only  said  by  way  of  jest,  yet  it  made 
him  thoughtful  in  earnest.  However,  for  the  present  he  returned  them  a  very 
civil  answer,  letting  them  know  that,  dead  or  alive,  he  should  be  glad  to  be 
useful  to  such  worthy  good  friends.  But,  after  all,  this  humorous  saying  had 
one  very  good  effect,  for  that  younker,  who  before  was  a  little  inclined  by  his 
constitution  to  be  lazy,  grew  on  a  sudden  extremely  industrious,  that  so  there 
might  be  less  occasion  to  carbonade  him  for  the  good  of  his  fellow  travellers. 
While  our  friends  were  thus  embarrassed  in  the  Dismal,  the  commissioners 
began  to  lie  under  great  uneasiness  for  them.  They  knew  very  well  their 
provisions  must  by  this  time  begin  to  fall  short,  nor  could  they  conceive  any 
likely  means  of  a  supply.  At  this  time  of  the  year  both  the  cattle  and  hogs 
had  forsaken  the  skirts  of  the  Dismal,  invited  by  the  springing  grass  on  the 
firm  land.  All  our  hopes  were  that  Providence  would  cause  some  wild  game 
to  fall  in  their  way,  or  else  direct  them  to  a  wholesome  vegetable  for  their 
subsistence.  In  short  they  were  haunted  with  so  many  frights  on  this  occa- 
sion, that  they  were  in  truth  more  uneasy  than  the  persons  whose  case  they 
lamented.  We  had  several  visiters  from  Edenton,  in  the  afternoon,  that  came 
with  Mr.  Gale,  who  had  prudently  left  us  at  Coratuck,  to  scuffle  through  that 
dirty  country  by  ourselves.  These  gentlemen,  having  good  noses,  had  smelled 
out,  at  thirty  miles'  distance,  the  precious  liquor  with  which  the  liberality  of 
our  good  friend  Mr.  Mead  had  just  before  supplied  us.  That  generous  per- 
son had  judged  very  right,  that  we  were  now  got  out  of  the  latitude  of  drink 
proper  for  men  in  affliction,  and  therefore  was  so  good  as  to  send  his  cart 
loaded  with  all  sorts  of  refreshments,  for  which  the  commissioners  returned 
him  their  thanks,  and  the  chaplain  his  blessing. 

21st.  The  surveyors  and  their  attendants  began  now  in  good  earnest  to  be 
alarmed  with  apprehensions  of  famine,  nor  could  they  forbear  looking  with 
some  sort  of  appetite  upon  a  dog  which  had  been  the  faithful  companion  of 
their  travels.  Their  provisions  were  now  near  exhausted.  They  had  this 
morning  made  the  last  distribution,  that  so  each  might  husband  his  small  pit- 
tance as  he  pleased.  IS#w  it  was  that  the  fresh  coloured  young  man  began 
to  tremble  every  joint  of  him,  having  dreamed,  the  night  before,  that  the  In- 
dians were  about  to  barbacue  him  over  live  coals.  The  prospect  of  famine 
determined  the  people,  at  last,  with  one  consent,  to  abandon  the  line  for  the 
present,  which  advanced  but  slowly,  and  make  the  best  of  their  way  to  firm 
land.  Accordingly  they  set  off  very  early,  and,  by  the  help  of  the  compass 
which  they  carried  along  with  them,  steered  a  direct  westwardly  course. 
They  marched  from  morning  till  night,  and  computed  their  journey  to  amount 
to  about  four  miles,  which  was  a  great  way,  considering  the  difficulties  of  the 
ground.  It  was  all  along  a  cedar  swamp,  so  dirty  and  perplexed,  that  if  they 
had  not  travelled  for  their  lives,  they  could  not  have  reached  so  far.  On  their 
way  they  espied  a  turkey  buzzard,  that  flew  prodigiously  high  to  get  above 
the  noisome  exhalations  that  ascend  from  that  filthy  place.  This  they  were 
willing  to  understand  as  a  good  omen,  according  to  the  superstition  of  the 
ancients,  who  had  great  faith  in  the  flight  of  vultures.  However,  after  all  this 
tedious  journey,  they  could  yet  discover  no  end  of  their  toil,  which  made 
them  very  pensive,  especially  after  they  had  eaten  the  last  morsel  of  their 
provisions.  But  to  their  unspeakable  comfort,  when  all  was  hushed  in  the 
evening,  they  heard  the  cattle  low,  and  the  dogs  bark,  very  distinctly,  which, 
to  men  in  that  distress,  was  more  delightful  music  than  Faustina  or  Farinelli 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  25 

could  have  made.  In  the  mean  time  the  commissioners  could  get  no  news  of 
them  from  any  of  their  visiters,  who  assembled  from  every  point  of  the  compass. 
But  the  good  landlord  had  visiters  of  another  kind  while  we  were  there,  that 
is  to  say,  some  industrious  masters  of  ships,  that  lay  in  Nansemond  river. 
These  worthy  commanders  came  to  bespeak  tobacco  from  these  parts  to 
make  up  their  loadings,  in  contempt  of  the  Virginia  law,  which  positively  for- 
bade their  taking  in  any  made  in  North  Carolina.  Nor  was  this  restraint  at 
all  unreasonable  ;  because  they  have  no  law  in  Carolina,  either  to  mend  the 
quality  or  lessen  the  quantity  of  tobacco,  or  so  much  as  to  prevent  the  turn- 
ing out  of  seconds,  all  which  cases  have  been  provided  against  by  the  laws 
of  Virginia.  Wherefore,  there  can  be  no  reason  why  the  inhabitants  of  that 
province  should  have  the  same  advantage  of  shipping  their  tobacco  in  our 
parts,  when  they  will  by  no  means  submit  to  the  same  restrictions  that  we  do. 
22d.  Our  patrol  happened  not  to  go  far  enough  to  the  northward  this 
morning,  if  they  had,  the  people  in  the  Dismal  might  have  heard  the  report  of 
their  guns.  For  this  reason  they  returned  without  any  tidings,  which  threw 
us  into  a  great  though  unnecessary  perplexity.  This  was  now  the  ninth  day 
since  they  entered  into  that  inhospitable  swamp,  and  consequently  we  had 
reason  to  believe  their  provisions  were  quite  spent.  We  knew  they  worked 
hard,  and  therefore  would  eat  hearthy,  so  long  as  they  had  wherewithal  to- 
recruit  their  spirits,  not  imagining  the  swamp  so  wide  as  they  found  it.  Had 
we  been  able  to  guess  where  the  line  would  come  out,  we  would  have  sent 
men  to  meet  them  with  a  fresh  supply ;  but  as  we  could  know  nothing  of 
that,  and  as  we  had  neither  compass  nor  surveyor  to  guide  a  messenger  on 
such  an  errand,  we  were  unwilling  to  expose  him  to  no  purpose ;  therefore, 
all  we  were  able  to  do  for  them,  in  so  great  an  extremity,  was  to  recommend 
them  to  a  merciful  Providence.  However  long  we  might  think  the  time,  yet 
we  were  cautious  of  showing  our  uneasiness,  for  fear  of  mortifying  our  land- 
lord. He  had  done  his  best  for  us,  and  therefore  we  were  unwilling  he  should 
think  us  dissatisfied  with  our  entertainment.  In  the  midst  of  our  concern,  we 
were  most  agreeably  surprised,  just  after  dinner,  with  the  news  that  the  Dis- 
malites  were  all  safe.  These  blessed  tidings  were  brought  to  us  by  Mr.  Swan, 
the  Carolina  surveyor,  who  came  to  us  in  a  very  tattered  condition.  After 
very  short  salutations,  we  got  about  him  as  if  he  had  been  a  Hottentot,  and 
began  to  inquire  into  his  adventures.  He  gave  us  a  detail  of  their  uncom- 
fortable voyage  through  the  Dismal,  and  told  us,  particularly,  they  had  pur- 
sued their  journey  early  that  morning,  encouraged  by  the  good  omen  of  seeing 
the  crows  fly  over  their  heads ;  that,  after  an  hour's  march  over  very  rotten 
ground,  they,  on  a  sudden,  began  to  find  themselves  among  tall  pines,  that 
grew  in  the  water,  which  in  many  places  was  knee  deep.  This  pine  swamp,, 
into  which  that  of  Coropeak  drained  itself,  extended  near  a  mile  in  breadth ; 
and  though  it  was  exceedingly  wet,  yet  it  was  much  harder  at  bottom  than 
the  rest  of  the  swamp ;  that  about  ten  in  the  morning  they  recovered  firm 
land,  which  they  embraced  with  as  much  pleasure  as  shipwrecked  wretches 
do  the  shore.  After  these  honest  adventurers  had  congratulated  each  other's 
deliverance,  their  first  inquiry  was  for  a  good  house,  where  they  might  satisfy- 
the  importunity  of  their  stomachs.  Their  good  genius  directed  them  to  Mr. 
Brinkley's,  who  dwells  a  little  to  the  southward  of  the  line.  This  man  began 
immediately  to  be  very  inquisitive,  but  they  declared  they  had  no  spirits  to 
answer  questions,  till  after  dinner.  •'  But  pray,  gentlemen,"  said  he,  "  answer 
me  one  question  at  least :  what  shall  we  get  for  your  dinner  ]"  To  which 
they  replied,  "  No  matter  what,  so  it  be  but  enough."  He  kindly  supplied 
their  wants  as  soon  as  possible,  and  by  the  strength  of  that  refreshment  they 
made  a  shift  to  come  to  us  in  the  evening,  to  tell  their  own  story.     They  all 


26  THE  HISTORY  OF 

looked  very  thin,  and  as  ragged  as  the  Gibeonite  ambassadors  did  in  the 
days  of  yore. 

Our  surveyors  told  us  they  had  measured  ten  miles  in  the  Dismal,  and 
computed  the  distance  they  had  marched  since  to  amount  to  about  five  more, 
so  they  made  the  whole  breadth  to  be  fifteen  miles  in  all. 

23d.  It  was  very  reasonable  that  the  surveyors,  and  the  men  who  had  been 
sharers  in  their  fatigue,  should  now  have  a  little  rest.  They  were  all,  except 
one,  in  good  health  and  good  heart,  blessed  be  God!  notwithstanding  the 
dreadful  hardships  they  had  gone  through.  It  was  really  a  pleasure  to  see 
the  cheerfulness  wherewith  they  received  the  order  to  prepare  to  re-enter  the 
Dismal  on  the  Monday  following,  in  order  to  continue  the  line  from  the  place 
where  they  had  left  off  measuring,  that  so  we  might  have  the  exact  breadth 
of  that  dirty  place.  There  were  no  more  than  two  of  them  that  could  be 
persuaded  to  be  relieved  on  this  occasion,  or  suffer  the  other  men  to  share  the 
credit  of  that  bold  undertaking,  neither  would  these  have  suffered  it  had  not 
one  of  them  been  very  lame,  and  the  other  much  indisposed.  By  the  de- 
scription the  surveyors  gave  of  the  Dismal,  we  were  convince i  that  nothing 
but  the  exceeding  dry  season  we  had  been  blessed  with  could  have  made  the 
passing  of  it  practicable.  It  is  the  source  of  no  less  than  five  several  rivers 
which  discharge  themselves  southward  into  Albemarle  sound,  and  of  two  that 
run  northerly  into  Virginia.  From  thence  it  is  easy  to  imagine  that  the  soil 
must  be  thoroughly  soaked  with  water,  or  else  there  must  be  plentiful  stores 
of  it  under  ground ;  to  supply  so  many  rivers ;  especially  since  there  is  no 
lake,  or  any  considerable  body  of  that  element  to  be  seen  on  the  surface. 
The  rivers  that  head  in  it  from  Virginia  are  the  south  branch  of  Nansemond, 
and  the  west  branch  of  Elizabeth ;  and  those  from  Carolina  are  North-west 
river,  North  river,  Pasquotank,  Little  river,  and  Pequimons. 

There  is  one  remarkable  parf"of  the  Dismal,  lying  to  the  south  of  the  line, 
that  has  few  or  no  trees  growing  on  it,  but  contains  a  large  tract  of  tall  reeds. 
These  being  green  all  the  year  round,  and  wavering  with  every  wind,  have 
procured  it  the  name  of  the  Green  sea.  We  are  not  yet  acquainted  with  the 
precise  extent  of  the  Dismal,  the  whole  having  never  been  surveyed ;  but  it 
may  be  computed  at  a  medium  to  be  about  thirty  miles  loner  and  ten  miles 
broad,  though  where  the  line  crossed  it,  it  was  completely  fifteen  miles  wide. 
But  it  seems  to  grow  narrower  towards  the  north,  or  at  least  does  so  in  many 
places.  The  exhalations  that  continually  rise  from  this  vast  body  of  mire  and 
nastiness  infect  the  air  for  many  miles  round,  and  render  it  very  unwhole- 
some for  the  bordering  inhabitants.  It  makes  them  liable  to  agues,  pleurisies, 
and  many  other  distempers,  that  kill  abundance  of  people,  and  make  the  rest 
look  no  better  than  ghosts.  It  would  require  a  great  sum  of  money  to  drain 
,.  it,  but  the  public  treasure  could  not  be  better  bestowed,  than  to  preserve  the 
lives  of  his  majesty's  liege  people,  and  at  the  same  time  render  so  great  a 
tract  of  swamp  very  profitable,  besides  the  advantage  of  making  a  channel 
to  transport  by  water  carriage  goods  from  Albemarle  sound  into  Nansemond 
and  Elizabeth  rivers,  in  Virginia. 

24th.  This  being  Sunday,  we  had  a  numerous  congregation,  which  flocked 
to  our  quarters  from  all  the  adjacent  country.  The  news  that  our  surveyors 
were  come  out  of  the  Dismal,  increased  the  number  very  much,  because  it 
would  give  them  an  opportunity  of  guessing,  at  least,  whereabouts  the  line 
would  cut,  whereby  they  might  form  some  judgment  whether  they  belonged 
to  Virginia  or  Carolina.  Those  who  had  taken  up  land  within  the  disputed 
bounds  were  in  great  pain  lest  it  should  be  found  to  lie  in  Virginia ;  because 
this  being  done  contrary  to  an  express  order  of  that  government,  the  patentees 
had  great  reason  to  fear  they  should  in  that  case  have  lost  their  land.     But 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE!  27 

their  apprehensions  were  now  at  an  end,  when  they  understood  that  all  the 
territory  which  had  been  controverted  was  like  to  be  left  in  Carolina.  In  the 
afternoon,  those  who  were  to  re-enter  the  Dismal  were  furnished  with  theme- 
cessary  provisions,  and  ordered  to  repair  the  over-night  to  their  landlord,  Pe- 
ter Brinkley's,  that  they  might  be  ready  to  begin  their  business  early  on 
Monday  morning.  Mr.  Irvin  was  excused  from  the  fatigue,  in  compliment  to 
his  lungs ;  but  Mr.  Mayo  and  Mr.  Swan  were  robust  enough  to  return  upon 
that  painful  service,  and,  to  do  them  justice,  they  went  with  great  alacrity. 
The  truth  was,  they  now  knew  the  worst  of  it ;  and  could  guess  pretty  near 
at  the  time  when  they  might  hope  to  return  to  land  again. 

25th.  The  air  was  chilled  this  morning  with  a  smart  north-west  wind, 
which  favoured  the  Dismalites  in  their  dirty  march.  They  returned  by  the 
path  they  had  made  in  coming  out,  and  with  great  industry  arrived  in  the 
evening  at  the  spot  where  the  line  had  been  discontinued.  After  so  long  and 
laborious  a  journey,  they  were  glad  to  repose  themselves  on  their  couches  of 
cypress-bark,  where  their  sleep  was  as  sweet  as  it  would  have  been  on  a  bed 
of  Finland  down.  In  the  mean  time,  we  who  stayed  behind  had  nothing  to 
do,  but  to  make  the  best  observations  we  could  upon  that  part  of  the  country. 
The  soil  of  our  landlord's  plantation,  though  none  of  the  best,  seemed  more 
fertile  than  any  thereabouts,  where  the  ground  is  near  as  sandy  as  the  desert3 
of  Africa,  and  consequently  barren.  The  road  leading  from  thence  to  Eden- 
ton,  being  in  distance  about  twenty-seven  miles,  lies  upon  a  ridge  called 
Sandy  ridge,  which  is  so  wretchedly  poor  that  it  will  not  bring  potatoes.  The 
pines  in  this  part  of  the  country  are  of  a  different  species  from  those  that 
grow  in  Virginia :  their  bearded  leaves  are  much  longer  and  their  cones  much 
larger.  Each  cell  contains  a  seed  of  the  size  and  figure  of  a  black-eye  pea, 
which,  shedding  in  November,  is  very  good  mast  for  hogs,  and  fattens  them 
\  in  a  short  time.  The  smallest  of  these  pines  are  full  of  cones,  which  are 
eight  or  nine  inches  long,  and  each  affords  commonly  sixty  or  seventy  seeds. 
This  kind  of  mast  has  the  advantage  of  all  other,  by  being  more  constant, 
and  less  liable  to  be  nipped  by  the  frost,  or  eaten  by  the  caterpillars.  The 
trees  also  abound  more  with  turpentine,  and  consequently  yield  more  tar, 
than  either  the  yellow  or  the  white  pine;  and  for  the  same  reason  make 
more  durable  timber  for  building.  The  inhabitants  hereabouts  pick  up  knots 
of  lightwobd  in  abundance,  which  they  burn  into  tar,  and  then  carry  it  to 
Norfolk  or  Nansemond  for  a  markef.   The  tar  made  in  this  method  is  the  less  ^y 

valuable,  because  it  is  said  to  burn  the  cordage,  though  it  is  full  as  good  for 
all  other  uses,  as  that  made  in  Sweden  and  Muscovy.  Surely  there  is  no% 
place  in  the  world  where  the  inhabitants  live  with  less  labour  than  in  North 
Carolina.  It  approaches  nearer  to  the  description  of  Lubberland  than  any 
other,  by  the  great  felicity  of  the  climate,  the  easiness  of  raising  provisions, 
and  the  slothfulness  of  the  people.  Indian  corn  is  of  so  great  increase,  that 
a  little  pains  will  subsist  a  very  large  family  with  bread,  and  then  they  may 
have  meat  without  any  pains  at  all,  by  the  help  of  the  low  grounds,  and  the  great 
variety  of  mast  that  grows  on  the  high  land.  The  men,  for  their  parts,  just 
like  the  Indians,  impose  ail  the  work  upon  the  poor  women.  They  make  their 
wives  rise  out  of  their  beds  early  in  the  morning,  at  the  same  time  that  they 
lie  and  snore,  till  the  sun  has  risen  one  third  of  his  course,  and  dispersed  all 
the  unwholesome  damps.  Then,  after  stretching  and  yawning  for  half  an 
hour,  they  light  their  pipes,  and,  under  the  protection  of  a  cloud  of  smoke, 
venture  out  into  the  open  air;  though,  if  it  happens  to  be  never  so  little  cold, 
they  quickly  return  shivering  into  the  chimney  corner.  When  the  weather  is 
mild,  they  stand  leaning  with  both  their  arms  upon  the  corn-field  fence,  and 
gravely  consider  whether  they  had  best  go  and  take  a  small  heat  at  the  hoe  : 
but  generally  find  reasons  to  put  it  off  till  another  time.     Thus  they  loiter 


23  Ty£  HISTORY  OF 

away  their  lives,  like  Solomon's  sluggard,  with  their  arms  across,  and  at  the 
winding  up  of  the  year  scarcely  have  bread  to  eat.  To  speak  the  truth,  it  is 
a  thorough  aversion  to  labor  that  makes  people  file  off  to  North  Carolina, 
where  plenty  and  a  warm  sun  confirm  them  in  their  disposition  to  laziness  for 
their  whole  lives. 

26th.  Since  we  were  like  to  be  confined  to  this  place,  till  the  people  re- 
turned out  of  the  Dismal,  it  was  agreed  that  our  chaplain  might  safely  take 
j  a  turn  to  Edenton,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  infidels  there,  and  christen 
their  children.  He  was  accompanied  thither  by  Mr.  Little,  one  of  the  Caro- 
lina commissioners,  who,  to  show  his  regard  for  the  church,  offered  to  treat 
him  on  the  road  with  a  fricassee  of  rum.  They  fried  half  a  dozen  rashers  of 
very  fat  bacon  in  a  pint  of  rum,  both  which  being  dished  up  together,  served 
the  company  at  once  both  for  meat  and  drink.  Most  of  the  rum  they  get  in 
this  country  comes  from  New  England,  and  is  so  bad  and  unwholesome,  that 
it  is  not  improperly  called  'f  kill-devil."  It  is  distilled  there  from  foreign 
molasses,  which,  if  skilfully  managed,  yields  near  gallon  for  gallon.  Their 
molasses  comes  from  the  same  country,  and  has  the  name  of  "  long  sugar" 
:  in  Carolina,  I  suppose  from  the  ropiness  of  it,  and  serves  all  the  purposes  of 
sugar,  both  in  their  eating  and  drinking.  When  they  entertain  their  friends 
bountifully,  they  fail  not  to  set  before  them  a  capacious  bowl  of  Bombo,  so 
called  from  the  admiral  of  that  name.  This  is  a  compound  of  rum  and  wa- 
ter in  equal  parts,  made  palatable  with  the  said  long  sugar.  As  good  humour 
begins  to  flow,  and  the  bowl  to  ebb,  they  take  care  to  replenish  it  with  sheer 
rum,  of  which  there  always  is  a  reserve  under  the  table.  But  such  generous 
doings  happen  only  when  that  balsam  of  life  is  plenty ;  for  they  have  often 
such  melancholy  times,  that  neither  landgraves  nor  cassiques  can  procure  one 
drop  for  their  wives,  when  they  lie  in,  or  are  troubled  with  the  colic  or 
vapours.  Very  few  in  this  country  have  the  industry  to  plant  orchards, 
which,  in  a  dearth  of  rum,  might  supply  them  with  much  better  liquor.  The 
truth  is,  there  is  one  inconvenience  that  easily  discourages  lazy  people  from 
making  this  improvement :  very  often,  in  autumn,  when  the  apples  begin  to 
ripen,  they  are  visited  with  numerous  flights  of  paroquets,  that  bite  all  the 
fruit  to  pieces  in  a  moment,  for  the  sake  of  the  kernels.  The  havoc  they 
make  is  sometimes  so  great,  that  whole  orchards  are  laid  waste  in  spite  of  all 
the  noises  that  can  be  made,  or  mawkins  that  can  be  dressed  tip,  to  fright 
them  away.  These  ravenous  birds  visit  North  Carolina  only  during  the 
warm  season,  and  so  soon  as  the  cold  begins  to  come  on,  retire  back  towards 
the  sun.  They  rarely  venture  so  far  north  as  Virginia,  except  in  a  very  hot 
summer,  when  they  visit  the  most  southern  parts  of  it.  They  are  very  beau- 
tiful ;  but  like  some  other  pretty  creatures,  are  apt  to  be  loud  and  mischievous. 
27th.  Betwixt  this  and  Edenton  there  are  many  whortleberry  slashes, 
which  afford  a  convenient  harbour  for  wolves  and  foxes.  The  first  of  these 
wild  beasts  is  not  so  large  and  fierce  as  they  are  in  other  countries  more 
northerly.  He  will  not  attack  a  man  in  the  keenest  of  his  hunger,  but  run 
away  from  him,  as  from  an  animal  more  mischievous  than  himself.  The 
foxes  are  much  bolder,  and  will  sometimes  not  only  make  a  stand,  but  like- 
wise assault  any  one  that  would  balk  them  of  their  prey.  The  inhabitants 
hereabouts  take  the  trouble  to  dig  abundance  of  wolf-pits,  so  deep  and  per- 
pendicular, that  when  a  wolf  is  once  tempted  into  them,  he  can  no  more 
scramble  out  again,  than  a  husband  who  has  taken  the  leap  can  scram- 
ble out  of  matrimony.  Most  of  the  houses  in  this  part  of  the  country  are 
log-houses,  covered  with  pine  or  cypress  shingles,  three  feet  long,  and  one 
broad.  They  are  hung  upon  laths  with  pegs,  and  their  doors  too  turn  upon 
wooden  hinges,  and  have  wooden  locks  to  secure  them,  so  that  the  building 
is  finished  without  nails  or  other  iron  Work.     They  also  set  up  their  pales 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  29 

without  any  nails  at  all,  and  indeed  more  securely  than  those  that  are  nailed. 
There  are  three  rails  mortised  into  the  posts,  the  lowest  of  which  serves  as 
a  sill  with  a  groove  in  the  middle,  big  enough  to  receive  the  end  of  the  pales  : 
the  middle  part  of  the  pale  .rests  against  the  inside  of  the  next  rail,  and  the 
top  of  it  is  brought  forward  to  the  outside  of  the  uppermost.  Such  wreath- 
Ling  of  the  pales  in  and  out  makes  them  stand  firm,  and  much  harder  to  unfix 
than  when  nailed  in  the  ordinary  way. 

Within  three  or  four  miles  of  Edenton,  the  soil  appears  to  be  a  little  more 
fertile,  though  it  is  much  cut  with  slashes,  which  seem  all  to  have  a  tendency 
towards  the  Dismal.  This  town  is  situated  on  the  north  side  of  Albemarle 
sound,  which  is  there  about  five  miles  over.  A  dirty  slash  runs  all  along  the 
j^  back  of  it,  which  in  the  summer  is  a  foul  annoyance,  and  furnishes  abundance 
of  that  Carolina  plague,  mosquitoes.  There  may  be  forty  or  fifty  houses, 
most  of  them  small,  and  built  without  expense.  A  citizen  here  is  counted 
extravagant,  if  he  has  ambition  enough  to  aspire  to  a  brick  chimney.  Justice 
herself  is  but  indifferently  lodged,  the  court-house  having  much  the  air  of  a 
common  tobacco-house.  I  believe  this  is  the  only  metropolis  in  the  Christian 
or  Mahometan  world,  where  there  is  neither  church,  chapel,  mosque,  syna- 
gogue, or  any  other  place  of  public  worship  of  any  sect  or  religion  whatso- 
ever. What  little  devotion  there  may  happen  to  be  is  much  more  private 
than  their  vices.  The  people  seem  easy  without  a  minister,  as  long  as  they 
are  exempted  from  paying  him.  Sometimes  the  Society  for  propagating  the 
Gospel  has  had  the  charity  to  send  over  missionaries  to  this  country ;  but 
unfortunately  the  priest  has  been  too  lewd  for  the  people,  or,  which  oftener 
happens,  they  too  lewd  for  the  priest.  For  these  reasons  these  reverend 
gentlemen  have  always  left  their  flocks  as  arrant  heathen  as  they  found 
them.  Thus  much  however  may  be  said  for  the  inhabitants  of  Edenton,  that 
not  a  soul  has  the  least  taint  of  hyprocrisy,  or  superstition,  acting  very  frank- 
ly and  above-board  in  all  their  excesses. 

Provisions  here  are  extremely  cheap,  and  extremely  good,  so  that  people  ^) 
-  may  live  plentifully  at  a  trifling  expense.  Nothing  is  dear  but  law,  physic,  3 
and  strong  drink,  which  are  all  bad  in  their  kind,  and  the  last  they  get  with 
so  much  difficulty,  that  they  are  never  guilty  of  the  sin  of  suffering  it  to  sour 
upon  their  hands.  Their  vanity  generally  lies  not  so  much  in  having  a  hand- 
some dining-room,  as  a  handsome  house  of  office :  in  this  kind  of  structure 
they  are  really  extravagant.  They  are  rarely  guilty  of  flattering  or  making 
any  court  to  their  governors,  but  treat  them  with  all  the  excesses  of  freedom 
and  familiarity.  They  are  of  opinion  their  rulers  would  be  apt  to  grow  inso- 
lent, if  they  grew  rich,  and  for  that  reason  take  care  to  keep  them  poorer, 
and  more  dependent,  if  possible,  than  the  saints  in  New  England  used  to 
do  their  governors.  They  have  very  little  corn,  so  they  are  forced  to  carry 
on  their  home  traffic  with  paper  money.  This  is  the  only  cash  that  will  tarry 
in  the  country,  and  for  that  reason  the  discount  goes  on  increasing  between 
that  and  real  money,  and  will  do  so  to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

28th.  Our  time  passed  heavily  in  our  quarters,  where  we  were  quite  cloyed 
-  with  the  Carolina  felicity  of  having  nothing  to  do.  It  was  really  more  insup- 
portable than  the  greatest  fatigue,  and  made  us  even  envy  the  drudgery  of 
our  friends  in  the  Dismal.  Besides,  though  the  men  we  had  with  us  were 
kept  in  exact  discipline,  and  behaved  without  reproach,  yet  our  landlord 
began  to  be  tired  of  them,  fearing  they  would  breed  a  famine  in  his  family. 
Indeed,  so  many  keen  stomachs  made  great  havoc  amongst  the  beef  and 
\  bacon  which  he  had  laid  in  for  his  summer  provision,  nor  could  he  easily 
purchase  more,  at  that  time  of  the  year,  with  the  money  we  paid  him,  be*- 
eause  people  having  no  certain  market  seldom  provide  any  more  of  these 
eommodities  than   will  barely  supply  their  own    occasions.       Besides  th« 

E 


30        -  THE  HISTORY  OF 

weather  was  now  grown  too  warm  to  lay  in  a  fresh  stock  so  late  in  the  spring. 
These  considerations  abated  somewhat  of  that  cheerfulness  with  which  he  bade 
us  welcome  in  the  beginning,  and  made  him  think  the  time  quite  as  long  as  we 
did  until  the  surveyors  returned.  While  we  were  thus  all  hands  uneasy,  we 
were  comforted  with  the  news  that  this  afternoon  the  line  was  finished 
through  the  Dismal.  The  messenger  told  us  it  had  been  the  hard  work  of 
three  days  to  measure  the  length  of  only  five  miles,  and  mark  the  trees  as 
they  passed  along,  and  by  the  most  exact  survey  they  found  the  breadth  of  the 
Dismal  in  this  place  to  be  completely  fifteen  miles.  How  wide  it  may  be  in 
other  parts,  we  can  give  no  account,  but  believe  it  grows  narrower  towards 
the  north ;  possibly  towards  Albemarle  sound  it  may  be  something  broader, 
where  so  many  rivers  issue  out  of  it.  All  we  know  for  certain  is,  that  from 
the  place  where  the  line  entered  the  Dismal,  to  where  it  came  out,  we  found 
the  road  round  that  portion  of  it  which  belonged  to  Virginia  to  be  about 
sixty-five  miles.  How  great  the  distance  may  be  from  each  of  those  points, 
round  that  part  that  falls  within  the  bounds  of  Carolina,  we  had  no  certain 
information :  though  it  is  conjectured  it  cannot  be  so  little  as  thirty  miles. 
At  which  rate  the  whole  circuit  must  be  about  a  hundred.  What  a  mass  of 
mud  and  dirt  is  treasured,  up  within  this  filthy  circumference,  and  what  a 
quantity  of  water  must  perpetually  drain  into  it  from  the  rising  ground  that 
surrounds  it  on  every  side  1  Without  taking  the  exact  level  of  the  Dismal, 
we  may  be  sure  that  it  declines  towards  the  places  where  the  several  rivers 
take  their  rise,  in  order  to  carrying  off  the  constant  supplies  of  water.  Were 
it  not  for  such  discharges,  the  whole  swamp  would  long  since  have  been 
converted  into  a  lake.  On  the  other  side  this  declension  must  be  very  gentle, 
else  it  would  be  laid  perfectly  dry  by  so  many  continual  drains ;  whereas,  on  the 
contrary,  the  ground  seems  every  where  to  be  thoroughly  drenched  even  in 
the  driest  season  of  the  year.  The  surveyors  concluded  this  day's  work 
with  running  twenty-five  chains  up  into  the  firm  land,  where  they  waited 
further  orders  from  the  commissioners. 

29th.  This  day  the  surveyors  proceeded  with  the  line  no  more  than  one 
mile  and  fifteen  chains,  being  interrupted  by  a  mill  swamp,  through  which 
they  made  no  difficulty  of  wading,  in  order  to  make  their  work  more  exact. 
Thus,  like  Norway  mice,  these  worthy  gentlemen  went  right  forward,  with- 
out suffering  themselves  to  be  turned  out  of  the  way  by  any  obstacle  whatever. 
We  are  told  by  some  travellers,  that  those  mice  march  in  mighty  armies, 
destroying  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth  as  they  go  along.  But  something 
peculiar  to  those  obstinate  little  animals  is,  that  nothing  stops  them  in  their 
career,  and  if  a  house  happen  to  stand  in  their  way,  disdaining  to  go  an  inch 
about,  they  crawl  up  one  side  of  it,  and  down  the  other :  or  if  they  meet 
with  any  river,  or  other  body  of  water,  they  are  so  -determined,  that  they 
swim  directly  over  it,  without  varying  one  point  from  their  course  for  the 
sake  of  any  safety  or  convenience.  The  surveyors  were  also  hindered 
some  time  by  setting  up  posts  in  the  great  road,  to  show  the  bounds  between 
the  two  colonies.. 

Our  chaplain  returned  to  us  in  the  evening  from  Edenton,  in  company 
with  the  Carolina  commissioners.  He  had  preached  there  in  the  court-house, 
for  want  of  a  consecrated  place,  and  made  no  less  than  nineteen  of  father 
Hennepin's  Christians. 

By  the  permission  of  the  Carolina  commissioners,  Mr.  Swan  was  allowed 
to  go  home,  as  soon  as  the  survey  of  the  Dismal  was  finished ;  he  met  with 
this  indulgence  for  a  reason  that  might  very  well  have  excused  his  coming 
at  all;  namely,  that  he  was  lately  married.  What  remained  of  the  drudgery 
for  this  season  was  left  to  Mr.  Mosely,  who  had  hitherto  acted  only  in  the 
capacity  of  a  commissioner.     They  offered  to  employ  Mr.  Joseph  Mayo  as 


~ 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  3] 

their  surveyor  in  Mr.  Swan's  stead,  but  he  thought  it  not  proper  to  accept  of 
it,  because  he  had  hitherto  acted  as  a  volunteer  in  behalf  of  Virginia,  and 
did  not  care  to  change  sides,  though  it  might  have  been  to  his  advantage. 

30th.  The  line  was  advanced  this  day  six  miles  and  thirty-five  chains,  the 
woods  being  pretty  clear,  and  interrupted  with  no  swamp,  or  other  wet  ground. 
The  land  hereabout  had  all  the  marks  of  poverty,  being  for  the  most  part  sandy 
and  full  of  pines.  This  kind  of  ground,  though  unfit  for  ordinary  tillage,  will 
however  bring  cotton  and  pototoes  in  plenty,  and  consequently  food  and 
raiment  to  such  as  are  easily  contented,  and,  like  the  wild  Irish,  find  more 
pleasure  in  laziness  than  luxury.  It  also  makes  a  shift  to  produce  Indian  corn, 
rather  by  the  felicity  of  the  climate  than  by  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  They 
who  are  more  industrious  than  their  neighbours  may  make  what  quantity  of 
tar  they  please,  though  indeed  they  are  not  always  sure  of  a  market  for  it. 
The  method  of  burning  tar  in  Sweden  and  Muscovy  succeeds  not  well  in 
this  warmer  part  of  the  world.  It  seems  they  kill  the  pine  trees,  by  barking 
them  quite  round  at  a  certain  height,  which  in  those  cold  countries  brings 
down  the  turpentine  into  the  stump  in  a  year's  time.  But  experience  has 
taught  us  that  in  warm  climates  the  turpentine  will  not  so  easily  descend, 
but  is  either  fixed  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  tree,  or  fried  out  by  the  intense 
heat  of  the  sun. 

Care  was  taken  to  erect  a  post  in  every  road  that  our  line  ran  through, 
with  Virginia  carved  on  the  north  side  of  it,  and  Carolina  on  the  south,  that 
the  bounds  might  every  where  appear,  hi  the  evening  the  surveyors  took 
up  their  quarters  at  the  house  of  one  Mr.  Parker,  who,  by  the  advantage  of  a 
better  spot  of  land  than  ordinary,  and  a  more  industrious  wife,  lives  com- 
fortably, and  has  a  very  neat  plantation. 

31st.  It  rained  a  little  this  morning,  but  this,  happening  again  upon  a 
Sunday,  did  not  interrupt  our  business.  However  the  surveyors  made  no 
scruple  of  protracting  and  plotting  off  their  work  upon  that  good  day,  be- 
cause it  was  rather  an  amusement  than  a  drudgery.  Here  the  men  feasted 
on  the  fat  of  the  land,  and  believing  the  dirtiest  part  of  their  work  was  over, 
had  a  more  than  ordinary  gaiety  of  heart.  We  christened  two  of  our  landlord's 
children,  which  might  have  remained  infidels  all  their  lives,  had  not  we  car- 
ried Christianity  home  to  his  own  door.  The  truth  of  it  is,  our  neighbours  of 
North  Carolina  are  not  so  zealous  as  to  go  much  out  of  their  way  to  procure 
this  benefit  for  their  children :  otherwise,  being  so  near  Virginia,  they  might, 
without  exceeding  much  trouble,  make  a  journey  to  the  next  clergyman, 
upon  so  good  an  errand.  And  indeed  should  the  neighbouring  ministers, 
once  in  two  or  three  years,  vouchsafe  to'  take  a  turn  among  these  gentiles, 
to  baptize  them  and  their  children,  it  would  look  a  little  apostolical,  and  they 
•  might  hope  to  be  requited  for  at  hereafter,  if  that  be  not  thought  too  long  to 
tarry  for  their  reward. 

April  1st.  The  surveyors  getting  now  upon  better  ground,  quite  disengaged 
from  underwoods,  pushed  on  the  line  almost  twelve  miles.  They  left  Som- 
merton  chapel  near  two  miles  to  the  northwards,  so  that  there  was  now  no 
place  of  public  worship  left  in  the  whole  province  of  North  Carolina. 

The  high  land  of  North  Carolina  was  barren,  and  covered  with  a  deep 
sand ;  and  the  low  grounds  were  wet  and  boggy,  insomuch  that  several  of 
our  horses  were  mired,  and  gave  us  frequent  opportunities  to  show  our 
horsemanship. 

The  line  cut  William  Spight's  plantation  in  two,  leaving  little  more  the  n 
his  dwelling  house  and  orchard  in  Virginia.  Sundry  other  plantations  were 
split  in  the  same  unlucky  manner,  which  made  the  owners  accountable  to 
both  governments.  Wherever  we  passed  we  constantly  found  the  borderers 
laid  it  to  heart  if  their  land  was  taken  into  Virginia :  they  chose  much  rather 


32  THE  HISTORY  OF 

to  belong  to  Carolina,  where  they  pay  no  tribute,  either  to  God  or  to  Caesar. 
Another  reason  was,  that  the  government  there  is  so  loose,  and  the  laws  are 
so  feebly  executed,  that,  like  those  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sidon  formerly, 
every  one  does  just  what  seems  good  in  his  own  eyes.  If  the  governor's 
hands  have  been  weak  in  that  province,  under  the  authority  of  the  lords  pro- 
prietors, much  weaker  then  were  the  hands  of  the  magistrate,  who,  though 
he  might  have  had  virtue  enough  to  endeavour  to  punish  offenders,  which 
very  rarely  happened,  yet  that  virtue  had  been  quite  impotent,  for  want  of 
ability  to  put  it  in  execution.  Besides,  there  might  have  been  some  danger, 
perhaps,  in  venturing  to  be  so  rigorous,  for  fear  of  undergoing  the  fate  of  an 
honest  justice  in  Coratuck  precinct.  This  bold  magistrate,  it  seems,  taking 
upon  him  to  order  a  fellow  to  the  stocks,  for  being  disorderly  in  his  drink, 
was,  for  his  intemperate  zeal,  carried  thither  himself,  and  narrowly  escaped 
being  whipped  by  the  rabble  into  the  bargain. 

This  easy  day's  work  carried  the  line  to  the  banks  of  Somerton  creek, 
that  runs  out  of  Chowan  river,  a  little  below  the  mouth  of  Nottoway. 

2d.  In  less  than  a  mile  from  Somerton  creek  the  line  was  carried  to  Black- 
water,  which  is  the  name  of  the  upper  part  of  Chowan,  running  %ome  miles 
above  the  mouth  of  Nottoway.  It  must  be  observed  that  Chowan,  after 
taking  a  compass  round  the  most  beautiful  part  of  North  Carolina,  empties  itself 
into  Albemarle  sound,  a  few  miles  above  Edenton.  The  tide  flows  seven  or 
eight  miles  higher  than  where  the  river  changes  its  name,  and  is  navigable 
thus  high  for  any  small  vessel.  Our  line  intersected  it  exactly  half  a  mile  to 
the  northward  of  Nottoway.  However,  in  obedience  to  his  majesty's  com- 
mand, we  directed  the  surveyors  to  come  down  the  river  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  Nottoway,  in  order  to  continue  our  true  west  line  from  thence.  Thus  we 
found  the  mouth  of  Nottoway  to  lie  no  more  than  half  a  minute  farther  to  the 
northward  than  Mr.  Lawson  had  formerly  done.  That  gentleman's  observa- 
tion, it  seems,  placed  it  in  36°  30',  and  our  working  made  it  out  to  be  36° 
3<H' — a  very  inconsiderable  variance. 

The  surveyors  crossed  the  river  over  against  the  middle  of  the  mouth  of 
Nottoway,  where  it  was  about  eighty  yards  wide.  From  thence  they  ran  the 
line  about  half  a  mile  through  a  dirty  pocoson,  as  far  as  an  Indian  field. 
Here  we  took  up  our  lodging  in  a  moist  situation,  having  the  pocoson  above 
mentioned  on  one  side  of  us,  and  a  swamp  on  the  other. 

In  this  camp  three  of  the  Meherrin  Indians  made  us  a  visit.  They  told  us 
that  the  small  remains  of  their  nation  had  deserted  their  ancient  town,  situated 
near  the  mouth  of  the  Meherrin  river,  for  fear  of  the  Catawbas,  who  had  killed 
fourteen  of  their  people  the  year  before ;  and  the  few  that  survived  that  cala- 
mity, had  taken  refuge  amongst  the  English,  on  the  east  side  of  Chowan. 
Though,  if  the  complaint  of  these  Indians  were  true,  they  are  hardly  used  by 
our  Carolina  friends.  But  they  are  the  less  to  be  pitied,  because  they  have 
ever  been  reputed  the  most  false  and  treacherous  to  the  English  of  all  the 
Indians  in  the  neighbourhood. 

Not  far  from  the  place  where  we  lay,  I  observed  a  large  oak  which  had 
been  blown  up  by  the  roots,  the  body  of  which  was  shivered  into  perfect 
strings,  and  was,  in  truth,  the  most  violent  effects  of  lightning  I  ever  saw. 

But  the  most  curious  instance  of  that  dreadful  meteor  happened  at  York, 
where  a  man  was  killed  near  a  pine  tree  in  which  the  lightning  made  a  hole 
before  it  struck  the  man,  and  left  an  exact  figure  of  the  tree  upon  his  breast, 
with  all  its  branches,  to  the  wonder  of  all  that  beheld  it,  in  which  I  shall  be 
more  particular  hereafter. 

We  made  another  trial  of  the  variation  in  this  place,  and  found  it  some 
minutes  less  than  we  had  done  at  Coratuck  inlet ;  but  so  small  a  difference 
might  easily  happen  through  some  defect  in  one  or  other  of  the  observations, 
and,  therefore,  we  altered  not  our  compass  for  the  matter. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  33 

3d.  By  the  advantage  of  clear  woods,  the  line  was  extended  twelve  miles 
and  three  quarters,  as  far  as  the  banks  of  Meherrin.  Though  the  mouth  of 
this  river  lies  fifteen  miles  below  the  mouth  of  Nottoway,  yet  it  winds  so  much 
to  the  northward,  that  we  came  upon  it,  after  running  this  small  distance. 

During  the  first  seven  miles,  we  observed  the  soil  to  be  poor  and  sandy  ; 
but  as  we  approached  Meherrin  it  grew  better,  though  there  it  was  cut  to 
pieces  by  sundry  miry  branches,  which  discharge  themselves  into  that  river, 
Several  of  our  horses  plunged  up  to  the  saddle  skirts,  and  were  not  dis- 
engaged without  difficulty. 

The  latter  part  of  our  day's  work  was  pretty  laborious,  because  of  the 
unevenness  of  the  way,  and  because  the  low  ground  of  the  river  was  full  of 
cypress  snags,  as  sharp  and  dangerous  to  our  horses  as  so  many  chevaux-de- 
frise.  We  found  the  whole  distance  from  the  mouth  of  Nottoway  to  Meherrin 
river,  where  our  line  intersected  it,  thirteen  miles  and  a  quarter. 

It  was  hardly  possible  to  find  a  level  large  enough  on  the  banks  of  the 
river  whereupon  to  pitch  our  tent.  But  though  the  situation  was,  on  that 
account,  not  very  convenient  for  us,  yet  it  was  for  our  poor  horses,  by 
reason  of  the  plenty  of  small  reeds  on  which  they  fed  voraciously.  These 
reeds  are  green  here  all  the  year  round,  and  will  keep  cattle  in  tolerable 
good  plight  during  the  winter.  But  whenever  the  hogs  come  where  they 
are,  they  destroy  them  in  a  short  time,  by  ploughing  up  their  roots,  of  which, 
unluckily,  they  are  very  fond. 

The  river  was  in  this  place  about  as  wide  as  the  river  Jordan,  that  is, 
forty  yards,  and  would  be  navigable  very  high  for  flat  bottom  boats  and 
canoes,  if  it  were  not  choked  up  with  large  trees,  brought  down  by  every 
fresh.  Though  the  banks  were  full  twenty  feet  high  from  the  surface  of  the 
water,  yet  we  saw  certain  marks  of  their  having  been  overflowed. 

These  narrow  rivers  that  run  high  up  into  the  country  are  subject  to  fre- 
quent inundations,  when  the  waters  are  rolled  down  with  such  violence  as  to 
carry  all  before  them.  The  logs  that  are  then  floated,  are  very  fatal  to  the 
bridges  built  over  these  rivers,  which  can  hardly  be  contrived  strong  enough  to 
stand  against  so  much  weight  and  violence  joined  together. 

The  Isle  of  Wight  county  begins  about  three  miles  to  the  east  of  Meherrin 
river,  being  divided  from  that  of  Nansemond  only  by  a  line  of  marked  trees. 

4th.  The  river  was  here  hardly  fordable,  though  the  season  had  been  very 
dry.  The  banks  too  were  so  steep  that  our  horses  were  forced  to  climb  like 
mules  to  get  up  them.  Nevertheless  we  had  the  luck  to  recover  the  opposite 
shore  without  damage. 

We  halted  for  half  an  hour  at  Charles  Anderson's,  who  lives  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  river,  in  order  to  christen  one  of  his  children.  In  the  mean  time, 
the  surveyors  extended  the  line  two  miles  and  thirty-nine  chains,  in  which 
small  distance  Meherrin  river  was  so  serpentine,  that  they  crossed  it  three 
times.  Then  we  went  on  to  Mr.  Kinchin's,  a  man  of  figure  and  authority  in 
North  Carolina,  who  lives  about  a  mile  to  the  southward  of  the  place  where 
the  surveyors  left  off.  By  the  benefit  of  a  little  pains,  and  good  management, 
this  worthy  magistrate  lives  in  much  affluence.  Amongst  other  instances  of 
his  industry,  he  had  planted  a  good  orchard,  which  is  not  common  in  that 
Indolent  climate ;  nor  is  it  at  all  strange,  that  such  improvident  people,  who 
take  no  thought  for  the  morrow,  should  save  themselves  the  trouble  to  make 
improvements  that  will  not  pay  them  for  several  years  to  come.  Though,  if 
they  could  trust  futurity  for  any  thing,  they  certainly  would  for  cider,  which 
they  are  so  fond  of,  that  they  generally  drink  it  before  it  has  done  working, 
lest  the  fermentation  might  unluckily  turn  it  sour. 

It  is  an  observation,  which  rarely  fails  of  being  true,  both  in  Virginia  and 
Carolina,  that  those  who  take  care  to  plant  good  orchards  are,  in  their  ge- 


34  THE  HISTORY  OF 

neral  characters,  industrious  people.  Tliis  held  good  in  our  landlord,  who 
had  many  houses  built  on  his  plantation,  and  every  one  kept  in  decent  repair. 
His  wife,  too,  was  tidy,  his  furniture  clean,  his  pewter  bright,  and  nothing 
seemed  to  be  wanting  to  make  his  home  comfortable. 

Mr.  Kinchin  made  us  the  compliment  of  his  house,  but  because  we  were 
willing  to  be  as  little  troublesome  as  possible,  we  ordered  the  tent  to  be 
pitched  in  his  orchard,  where  the  blossoms  of  the  apple  trees  contributed  not 
a  little  to  the  sweetness  of  our  lodging. 

5th.  Because  the  spring  was  now  pretty  forward,  and  the  rattlesnakes  began 
to  crawl  out  of  their  winter  quarters,  and  might  grow  dangerous,  both  to  the 
men  and  their  horses,  it  was  determined  to  proceed  no  farther  with  the  line 
till  the  fall.  Besides,  the  uncommon  fatigue  the  people  had  undergone  for 
near  six  weeks  together,  and  the  inclination  they  all  had  to  visit  their  respective 
families,  made  a  recess  highly  reasonable.  \ 

The  surveyors  were  employed  great  part  of  the  day,  in  forming  a  correct 
and  elegant  map  of  the  line,  from  Coratuck  inlet  to  the  place  where  they  left 
off.  On  casting  up  the  account  in  the  most  accurate  manner,  they  found  the 
whole  distance  we  had  run  to  amount  to  seventy  three  miles  and  thirteen 
chains.  Of  the  map  they  made  two  fair  copies,  which  agreeing  exactly,  were 
subscribed  by  the  commissioners  of  both  colonies,  and  one  of  them  was  deli- 
vered to  those  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  and  the  other  to  those  on  the  part  of 
North  Carolina. 

6th.  Thus  we  finished  our  spring  campaign,  and  having  taken  leave  of  our 
Carolina  friends,  and  agreed  to  meet  them  again  the  tenth  of  September 
following,  at  the  same  Mr.  Kinchin's,  in  order  to  continue  the  line,  we  crossed 
Meherrin  river  near  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  house.  About  ten  miles 
from  that  we  halted  at  Mr.  Kindred's  plantation,  where  we'  christened  two 
children. 

It  happened  that  some  of  Isle  of  Wight  militia  were  exercising  in  the 
adjoining  pasture,  and  there  were  females  enough  attending  that  martial 
appearance  to  form  a  more  invincible  corps.  Ten  miles  farther  we  passed 
Nottoway  river  at  Bolton's  ferry,  and  took  up  our  lodgings  about  three  miles 
from  thence,  at  the  house  of  Richard  Parker,  an  honest  planter,  whose  labours 
were  rewarded  with  plenty,  which,  in  this  country,  is  the  constant  portion  of 
the  industrious. 

7th.  The  next  day  being  Sunday,  we  ordered  notice  to  be  sent  to  all  the 
neighbourhood  that  there  would  be  a  sermon  at  this  place,  and  an  opportunity 
of  christening  their  children.  But  the  likelihood  of  rain  got  the  better  of 
their  devotion,  and  what,  perhaps,  might  still  be  a  stronger  motive  of  their 
curiosity.  In  the  morning  we  despatched  a  runner  to  the  Nottoway  town,  to 
let  the  Indians  know  we  intended  them  a  visit  that  evening,  and  our  honest 
landlord  was  so  kind  as  to  be  our  pilot  thither,  being  about  four  miles  from  his 
house.  Accordingly  in  the  afternoon  we  marched  in  good  order  to  the  town, 
where  the  female  scouts,  stationed  on  an  eminence  for  that  purpose,  had  no 
sooner -spied  us,  but  they  gave  notice  of  our  approach  to  their  fellow  citizens 
by  continual  whoops  and  cries,  which  could  not  possibly  have  been  more  dis- 
mal at  the  sight  of  their  most  implacable  enemies.  This  signal  assembled 
all  their  great  men,  who  received  us  in  a  body,  and  conducted  us  into  the 
fort.  This  fort  was  a  square  piece  of  ground,  inclosed  with  substantial  pun- 
cheons, or  strong  palisades,  about  ten  feet  high,  and  leaning  a  little  outwards, 
to  make  a  scalade  more  difficult.  Each  side  of  the  square  might  be  about  a 
hundred  yards  long,  with  loop-holes  at  proper  distances,  through  which  they 
may  fire  upon  the  enemy.  Within  this  inclosure  we  found  bark  cabins  sufficient 
to  lodge  all  their  people,  in  case  they  should  be  obliged  to  retire  thither. 
These  cabins  are  no  other  but  close  arbours  made  of  saplings,  arched  at  the 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  35 

top,  and  covered  so  well  with  bark  as  to  be  proof  against  all  weather.  The 
fire  is  made  in  the  middle,  according  to  the  Hibernian  fashion,  the  smoke 
whereof  finds  no  other  vent  but  at  the  door,  and  so  keeps  the  whole  family- 
warm,  at  the  expense  both  of  their  eyes  and  complexion.  The  Indians  have 
no  standing  furniture  in  their  cabins  but  hurdles  to  repose  their  persons 
upon,  which  they  cover  with  mats  and  deer-skins.  We  were  conducted  to 
the  best  apartments  in  the  fort,  which  just  before  had  been  made  ready  for 
our  reception,  and  adorned  with  new  mats,  that  were  very  sweet  and  clean. 
The  young  men  had  painted  themselves  in  a  hideous  manner,  not  so  much 
for  ornament  as  terror.  In  that  frightful  equipage  they  entertained  us  with 
sundry  war  dances,  wherein  they  endeavoured  to  look  as  formidable  as  possi- 
ble. The  instrument  they  danced  to  was  an  Indian  drum,  that  is,  a  large 
gourd  with  a  skin  braced  tight  over  the  mouth  of  it.  The  dancers  all  sang  to 
the  music,  keeping  exact  time  with  their  feet,  while  their  heads  and  arms 

'  were  screwed  into  a  thousand  menacing  postures.  Upon  this  occasion  the 
ladies  had  arrayed  themselves  in  all  their  finery.  They  were  wrapped  in 
their  red  and  blue  match  coats,  thrown  so  negligently  about  them,  that  their 
mahogany  skins  appeared  in  several  parts,  like  the  Lacedaemonian  damsels  of 
.  old.  Their  hair  was  braided  with  white  and  blue  peak,  and  hung  gracefully 
in  a  large  roll  upon  their  shoulders. 

This  peak  consists  of  small  cylinders  cut  out  of  a  conch  shell,  drilled 
through  and  strung  like  beads.  It  serves  them  both  for  money  and  jewels, 
the  blue  being  ■  of  much  greater  value  than  the  white,  for  the  same  reason 
that  Ethiopian  mistresses  in  France  are  dearer  than  French,  because  they 
are  more  scarce.  The  women  wear  necklaces  and  bracelets  of  these  pre- 
cious materials,  when  they  have  a  mind  to  appear  lovely.  Though  their 
complexions  be  a  little  sad-coloured,  yet  their  shapes  are  very  strait  and  well 
proportioned.  Their  faces  are  seldom  handsome,  yet  they  have  an  air  of 
innocence  and  bashfulness,  that  with  a  little  less  dirt  would  not  fail  to  make 

->  them  desirable.  Such  charms  might  have  had  their  full  effect  upon  men  who 
had  been  so  long  deprived  of  female  conversation,  but  that  the  whole  winter's 
soil  was  so  crusted  on  the  skins  of  those  dark  angels,  that  it  recpjired  a  very 
strong  appetite  to  approach  them.  The  bear's  oil,  with  which  they  anoint 
their  persons  all  over,  makes  their  skins  soft,  and  at  the  same  time  protects 
them  from  every  species  of  vermin  that  use  to  be  troublesome  to  other  un- 
cleanly people.  We  were  unluckily  so  many,  that  they  could  not  well  make 
us  the  compliment  of  bed -fellows,  according  to  the  Indian  rules  of  hospitality, 
though  a  grave  matron  whispered  one  of  the  commissioners  very  civilly  in 
the  ear,  that  if  her  daughter  had  been  but  one  year  older,  she  should  have 
been  at  his  devotion. 

It  is  by  no  means  a  loss  of  reputation  among  the  Indians,  for  damsels 
that  are  single  to  have  intrigues  with  the  men  ;  on  the  contrary,  they  account 
it  an  argument  of  superior  merit  to  be  liked  by  a  great  number  of  gallants. 
However,  like  the  ladies  that  game,  they  are  a  little  mercenary  in  their 
amours,  and  seldom  bestow  their  favours  out  of  stark  love  and  kindness.  But 
after  these  women  have  once  appropriated  their  charms  by  marriage,  they 
are  from  thenceforth  faithful  to  their  tows,  and  will  hardly  ever  be  tempted 
by  an  agreeable  gallant,  or  be  provoked  by  a  brutal  or  even  by  a  careless 
husband  to  go  astray.  The  little  work  that  is  done  among  the  Indians  is 
done  by  the  poor  women,  while  the  men  are  quite  idle,  or  at  most  employed 
only  in  the  gentlemanly  diversions  of  hunting  and  fishing.  In  this,  as  well 
as  in  their  wars,  they  use  nothing  but  fire-arms,  which  they  purchase  of  the 
English  for  skins.  Bows  and  arrows  are  grown  into  disuse,  except  only 
amongst  their  boys.  Nor  is  it  ill  policy,  but  on  the  contrary  very  prudent, 
thus  to  furnish  the  Indians  with  fire-arms,  because   it  makes  them    depend 


3Q  THE  HISTORY  OF 

entirely  upon  the  English,  not  only  for  their  trade,  but  even  for  their  subsist- 
ence. Besides,  they  were  really  able  to  do  more  mischief,  while  they  made 
use  of  arrows,  of  which  they  would  let  silently  fly  several  in  a  minute  with 
wonderful  dexterity,  whereas  now  they  hardly  ever  discharge  their  fire-locks 
more  than  once,  which  they  insidiously  do  from  behind  a  tree,  and  then 
retire  as  nimbly  as  the  Dutch  horse  used  to  do  now  and  then  formerly  in 
Flanders.  We  put  the  Indians  to  no  expense,  but  only  of  a  little  corn  for 
our  horses,  for  which  in  gratitude  we  cheered  their  hearts  with  what  rum  we 
had  left,  which  they  love  better  than  they  do  their  wives  and  children.  Though 
these  Indians  dwell  among  the  English,  and  see  in  what  plenty  a  little  indus- 
try enables  them  to  live,  yet  they  choose  to  continue  in  their  stupid  idleness, 
and  to  suffer  all  the  inconveniences  of  dirt,  cold  and  want,  rather  than  to  dis- 
turb their  heads  with  care,  or  defile  their  hands  with  labour. 

The  whole  number  of  people  belonging  to  the  Nottoway  town,  if  you  in- 
clude women  and  children,  amount  to  about  two  hundred.  These  are  the 
only  Indians  of  any  consequence  now  remaining  within  the  limits  of  Virgi- 
nia. The  rest  are  either  removed,  or  dwindled  to  a  very  inconsiderable  num- 
ber, either  by  destroying  one  another,  or. else  by  the  small-pox  and  other  dis- 
eases. Though  nothing  has  been  so  fatal  to  them  as  their  ungovernable 
passion  for  rum,  with  which,  I  am  sorry  tto  say  it,  they  have  been  but  too 
liberally  supplied  by  the  English  that  live  near  them.  And  here  I  must  la- 
ment the  bad  success  Mr.  Boyle's  charity  has  hitherto  had  towards  convert- 
ing any  of  these  poor  heathens  to  Christianity.  Many  children  of  our  neigh- 
bouring Indians  have  been  brought  up  in  the  college  of  William  and  Mary. 
They  have  been  taught  to  read  and  write,  and  have  been  carefully  instructed  in 
the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion,  till  they  came  to  be  men.  Yet  after  they 
returned  home,  instead  of  civilizing  and  converting  the  rest,  they  have  imme- 
diately relapsed  into  infidelity  and  barbarism  themselves. 

And  some  of  them  top  have  made  the  worst  use  of  the  knowledge  they 
acquired  among  the  English,  by  employing  it  against  their  benefactors. 
Besides,  as  they  unhappily  forget  all  the  good  they  learn,  and  remember  the 
ill,  they  are  apt  to  be  more  vicious  and  disorderly  than  the  rest  of  their  coun- 
trymen. I  ought  not  to  quit  this  subject  without  doing  justice  to  the  great 
prudence  of  colonel  Spotswood  in  this  affair.  That  gentleman  was  lieutenant 
governor  of  Virginia  when  Carolina  was  engaged  in  a  bloody  war  with  the 
Indians.  At  that  critical  time  it  was  thought  expedient  to  keep  a  watchful  eye 
upon  our  tributary  savages,  who  we  knew  had  nothing  to  keep  them  to  their 
duty  but  their  fears.  Then  it  was  that  he  demanded  of  each  nation  a  compe- 
tent number  of  their  great  men's  children  to  be  sent  to  the  college,  where  they 
served  as  so  many  hostages  for  the  good  behaviour  of  the  rest,  and  at  the  same 
time  were  themselves  principled  in  the  Christian  religion.  He  also  placed  a  school 
master  among  the  Saponi  Indians,  at  the  salary  of  fifty  pounds  per  annum,  to 
instruct  their  children.  The  person  that  undertook  that  charitable  work  was 
Mr.  Charles  Griffin,  a  man  of  a  good  family,  who,  by  the  innocence  of  his 
life,  and  the  sweetness  of  his  temper,  was  perfectly  well  qualified  for  that  pious 
undertaking.  Besides,  he  had  so  much  the  secret  of  mixing  pleasure  with 
instruction,  that  he  had  not  a  scholar  who  did  not  love  him  affectionately. 
Such  talents  must  needs  have  been  blest  with  a  proportionable  success,-  had 
he  not  been  unluckily  removed  to  the  college,  by  which  he  left  the  good  work 
he  had  begun  unfinished.  In  short,  all  the  pains  he  had  taken  among  the  infi- 
dels had  no  other  effect  but  to  make  them  something  cleanlier  than  other 
Indians  are.  The  care  colonel  Spotswood  took  to  tincture  the  Indian  children 
with  Christianity  produced  the  following  epigram,  which  was  not  published 
during  his  administration,  for  fear  it  might  then  have  looked  like  flattery. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  37 

Long  has  the  furious  priest  assayed  in  vain, 
With  sword  and  faggot,  infidels  to  gain, 
•  But  now  the  milder  soldier  wisely  tries 
By  gentler  methods  to  unveil  their  eyes. 
Wonders  apart,  he  knew  'twere  vain  t'engage 
The  fix'd  preventions  of  misguided  age. 
With  fairer  hopes  he  forms  the  Indian  youth 
To  early  manners,  probity  and  truth. 
The  lion's  whelp  thus,  on  the  Lybian  shore,  ) 
Is  tamed  and  gentled  by  the  artful  Moor,        > 
Not  the  grim  sire,  inured  to  blood  before.      y 

I  am  sorry  I  cannot  give  a  better  account  of  the  state  of  the  poor  Indians 
with  respect  to  Christianity,  although  a  great  deal  of  pains  has  been  and  still 
continues  to  be  taken  with  them.  For  my  part,  I  must  be  of  opinion,  as  I 
hinted  before,  that  there  is  but  one  way  of  converting  these  poor  infidels, 
and  reclaiming  them  from  barbarity,  and  that  is,  charitably  to  intermarry 
»  with  them,  according  to  the  modern  policy  of  the  most  Christian  king  in 
Canada  and  Louisiana.  Had  the  English  done  this  at  the  first  settlement  of 
the  colony,  the  infidelity  of  the  Indians  had  been  worn  out  at  this  day,  with 
their  dark  complexions,  and  the  country  had  swarmed  with  people  more  than 
it  does  with  insects.  It  was  certainly  an  unreasonable  nicety,  that  prevented 
their  entering  into  so  good-natured  an  alliance.  All  nations  of  men  have 
the  same  natural  dignity,  and  we  all  know  that  very  bright  talents  may  be 
lodged  under  a  very  dark  skin.  The  principal  difference  between  one  people 
and  another  proceeds  only  from  the  different  opportunities  of  improvement. 
The  Indians  by  no  means  want  understanding,  and  are  in  their  figure  tall 
and  well-proportioned.  Even  their  copper-coloured  complexion  would  admit 
of  blanching,  if  not  in  the  first,  at  the  farthest  in  the  second  generation.  I 
may  safely  venture  to  say,  the  Indian  women  would  have  made  altogether 
as  honest  wives  for  the  first  planters,  as  the  damsels  they  used  to  purchase 
from  aboard  the  ships.  It  is  strange,  therefore,  that  any  good  Christian 
should  have  refused  a  wholesome,  straight  bed-fellow,  when  he  might  have 
had  so  fair  a  portion  with  her,  as  the  merit  of  saving  her  soul. 

8th.  We  rested  on  our  clean  mats  very  comfortably,  though  alone,  and  the 
next  morning  went  to  the  toilet  of  some  of  the  Indian  ladies,  where,  what 
with  the  charms  of  their  persons  and  the  smoke  of  their  apartments,  we 
were  almost  blinded.  They  offered  to  give  us  silk-grass  baskets  of  their 
own  making,  which  we  modestly  refused,  knowing  that  an  Indian  present, 
like  that  of  a  nun,  is  a  liberality  put  out  to  interest,  and  a  bribe  placed  to  the 
greatest  advantage.  Our  chaplain  observed  with  concern,  that  the  ruffles  of 
some  of  our  fellow  travellers  were  a  little  discoloured  with  pochoon,  where- 
with the  good  man  had  been  told  those  ladies  used  to  improve  their  invisible 
charms. 

About  10  o'clock  Ave  marched  out  of  town  in  good  order,  and  the  war, 
captains  saluted  us  with  a  volley  of  small  arms.     From  thence  we  proceeded 
over  Black-water  bridge  to  colonel  Henry  Harrison's,  where  we  congratulated 
each  other  upon  our  return  into  Christendom. 

Thus  ended  our  progress  for  this"  "season,  which  we  may  justly  say  was 
attended  with  all  the  success  that  could  be  expected.  Besides  the  punctual 
performance  of  what  was  committed  to  us,  we  had  the  pleasure  to  bring 
back  every  one  of  our  company  in  perfect  health.  And  this  we  mnst  ac- 
knowledge to  be  a  singular  blessing,  considering  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
to  which  they  had  been  exposed.  We  had  reason  to  fear  the  many  waters 
and  sunken  grounds,  through  which  we  were  obliged  to  wade,  might  have 

F 


33  THE  HISTORY  OF 

thrown  the  men  into  sundry  acute  distempers ;  especially  the  Dismal,  where 
the  soil  was  so  full  of  water,  and  the  air  so  full  of  damps,  that  nothing  but  a 
Dutchman  could  live  in  them.  Indeed  the  foundation  of  all  our  success  was 
the  exceeding  dry  season.  It  rained  during  the  whole  journey  but  rarely, 
and  then,  as  when  Herod  built  his  temple,  only  in  the  night  or  upon  the  sab- 
bath, when  it  was  no  hinderance  at  all  to  our  progress. 

September.  The  tenth  of  September  being  thought  a  little  too  soon  for  the 
commissioners  to  meet,  in  order  to  proceed  on  the  line,  on  account  of  snakes, 
it  was  agreed  to  put  it  off  to  the  twentieth  of  the  same  month,  of  which  due 
notice  was  sent  to  the  Carolina  commissioners. 

Sept.  19.  We,  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  that  we  might  be  sure  to  be  punctual, 
arrived  at  Mr.  Kinchin's,  the  place  appointed,  on  the  nineteenth,  after  a  jour- 
ney of  three  days,  in  which  nothing  remarkable  happened.  We  found  three 
of  the  Carolina  commissioners  had  taken  possession  of  the  house,  having 
come  thither  by  water  from  Edenton.  By  the  great  quantity  of  provisions 
these  gentlemen  brought,  and  the  -few  men  they  had  to  eat  them,  we  were 
afraid  they  intended  to  carry  the  line  to  the  South  sea.  They  had  five  hun- 
dred pounds  of  bacon  and  dried  beef,  and  five  hundred  pounds  of  biscuit, 
and  not  above  three  or  four  men.  The  misfortune  was,  they  forgot  to 
provide  horses  to  carry  their  good  things,  or  else  trusted  to  the  uncertainty 
of  hiring  them  here,  which,  considering  the  place,  was  leaving  too  much 
to  that  jilt,  hazard.  On  our  part  we  had  taken  better  care,  being  completely 
furnished  with  every  thing  necessary  for  transporting  our  baggage  and 
provisions.  Indeed  we  brought  no  other  provisions  out  with  us  but  a  thou- 
sand pounds  of  bread,  and  had  faith  enough  to  depend  on  Providence  for 
our  meat,  being  desirous  to  husband  the  public  money  as  much  as  possible. 
We  had  no  less  than  twenty  men,  besides  the  chaplain,  the  surveyors  and 
all  the  servants,  to  be  subsisted  upon  this  bread.  However,  that  it  might 
hold  out  the  better,  our  men  had  been  ordered  to  provide  themselves  at 
home  with  provision  for  ten  days,  in  which  time  we  judged  we  should  get 
beyond  the  inhabitants,  where  forest  game  of  all  sorts  was  like  to  be  plenty 
at  that  time  of  the  year. 

20th.  This  being  the  day  appointed  for  our  rendezvous,  great  part  of  it 
was  spent  in  the  careful  fixing  our  baggage  and  assembling  our  men,  who 
were  ordered  to  meet  us  here.  We  took  care  to  examine  their  arms,  and 
made  proof  of  the  powder  provided  for  the  expedition.  Our  provision-horses 
had  been  hindered  by  the  rain  from  coming  up  exactly  at  the  day ;  but  this 
delay  was  the  less  disappointment,  by  reason  of  the  ten  days'  subsistence  the 
men  had  been  direeted  to  provide  for  themselves.  Mr.  Moseley  did  not  join 
us  till  the  afternoon,  nor  Mr.  Swan  till  several  days  after. 

Mr.  Kinchin  had  unadvisedly  sold  the  men  a  little  brandy  of  his  own 
making,  whieh  produced  much  disorder,  causing  some  to  be  too  choleric,  and 
others  too  loving ;  insomuch  that  a  damsel,  who  assisted  in  the  kitchen,  had 
certainly  suffered  what  the  nuns  call  martyrdom,  had  she  not  capitulated  a 
little  too  soon.  This  outrage  would  have  called  for  some  severe  discipline, 
had  she  not  bashfully  withdrawn  herself  early  in  the  morning,  and  so  carried 
off  the  evidence. 

21st.  We  despatched  away  the  surveyors  without  loss  of  time,  who,  with 
all  their  diligence,  could  carry  the  line  no  farther  than  three  miles  and  a 
hundred  and  seventy-six  poles,  by  reason  the  low  ground  was  one  entire 
thicket.  In  that  distance  they  crossed  Meherrin  river  the  fourth  time.  In 
the  mean  while  the  Virginia  commissioners  thought  proper  to  conduct  their 
baggage  a  farther  way  about,  for  the  convenience  of  a  clearer  road. 

The  Carolina  gentlemen  did  at  length,  more  by  fortune  than  forecast,  hire 
a  clumsy  vehicle,  something  like  a  cart,  to  transport  their  effects  as  far  as 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE  39 

Roanoke.  This  wretched  machine,  at  first  setting  out,  met  with  a  very  rude 
choque,  that  broke  a  case-bottle  of  cherry  brandy  in  so  unlucky  a  manner 
that  not  one  precious  drop  was  saved.  This  melancholy  beginning  foreboded 
an  unprosperous  journey,  and  too  quick  a  return,  to  the  persons  most  imme- 
diately concerned. 

In  our  way  we  crossed  Fountain  creek,  which  runs  into  Meherrin  river, 
so  called  from  the  disaster  of  an  unfortunate  Indian  trader  who  had  formerly 
been  drowned  in  it,  and,  like  Icarus,  left  his  name  to  that  fatal  stream.  We 
took  up  our  quarters  on  the  plantation  of  John  Hill,  where  we  pitched  our 
tent,  with  design  to  tarry  till  such  time  as  the  surveyors  could  work  their 
way  to  us. 

22d.  This  being  Sunday,  we  had  an  opportunity  of  resting  from  our  la- 
bours. The  expectation  of  such  a  novelty  as  a  sermon  in  these  parts 
brought  together  a  numerous  congregation.  When  the  sermon  was  over, 
our  chaplain  did  his  part  towards  making  eleven  of  them  Christians. 

Several  of  our  men  had  intermitting  fevers,  but  were  soon  restored  to 
their  health  again  by  proper  remedies.  Our  chief  medicine  was  dogwood 
bark,  which  we  used,  instead  of  that  of  Peru,  with  good  success  Indeed,  it 
was  given  in  larger  quantity,  but  then,  to  make  the  patients  amends,  they 
swallowed  much  fewer  doses. 

In  the  afternoon  our  provision  horses  arrived  safe  in  the  camp.  They  had 
met  with  very  heavy  rains,  but,  thank  God,  not  a  single  biscuit  received  the 
least  damage  thereby.  We  were  furnished  by  the  neighbours  with  very 
lean  cheese  and  very  fat  mutton,  upon  which  occasion  it  will  not  be  improper 
to  draw  one  conclusion,  from  the  evidence  of  North  Carolina,  that  sheep 
would  thrive  much  better  in  the  woods  than  in  pasture  land,  provided  a  care- 
ful shepherd  were  employed  to  keep  them  from  straying,  and,  by  the  help  of 
dogs,  to  protect  thern  also  from  the  wolves. 

23d.  The  surveyors  came  to  U3  at  night,  though  they  had  not  brought  the 
line  so  far  as  our  camp,  for  which  reason  we  thought  it  needless  to  go  for- 
ward till  they  came  up  with  us.  They  could  run  no  more  than  four  miles  and 
five  poles,  because  the  ground  was  every  where  grown  up  with  thick  bushes. 
The  soil  here  appeared  to  be  very  good,  though  much  broken  betwixt  Foun- 
tain creek  and  Roanoke  river.  The  line  crossed  Ivleherrin  river  the  f.fth  and 
last  time,  nor  were  our  people  sorry  to  part  with  a  stream  the  meanders  of 
which  had  given  them  so  much  trouble. 

Our  hunters  brought  us  four  wild  turkeys,  which  at  that  season  began  to 
be  fat  and  very  delicious,  especially  the  hens.  These  birds  seem  to  be  of  the 
bustard  kind,  and  fly  heavily.  Some  of  them  are  exceedingly  large,  and  weigh 
upwards  of  forty  pounds ;  nay,  some  bold  historians  venture  to  say,  upwards 
■  of  fifty  pounds.  They  run  very  fast,  stretching  forth  their  wings  ail  the  time, 
like  the  ostrich,  by  way  of  sails  to  quicken  their  speed.  They  roost  commonly 
upon  very  high  trees,  standing  near  some  river-  or  creek,  and  are  so  stupified 
at  the  sight  of  fire,  that  if  you  make  a  blaze  in  the  night  near  the  place 
where  they  roost,  you  may  fire  upon  them  several  times  successively,  before 
they  will  dare  to  fly  away.  Their  spurs  are  so  sharp  and  strong,  that  the 
Indians  used  formerly  to  point  their  arrows  with  them,  though  now  they 
point  them  with  a  sharp  white  stone.  In  the  spring  the  turkey-cocks  begin 
to  gobble,  which  is  the  language  wherein  they  make  love. 

It  rained  very  hard  in  the  night,  with  a  violent  storm  of  thunder  and  light- 
ning, which  obliged  us  to  trench  in  our  tent  all  round,  to  carry  Oa?  the  water 
that  fell  upon  it. 

24th.  So  soon  as  the  men  could  dry  their  blankets,  we  sent  out  the  survey- 
ors, who  now  meeting  with  more  favourable  grounds,  advanced  the  line  seven 
miles  and  eighty-two  poles.  However,  the  commissioners  did  not  think  proper 
to  deeamp  that  day,  believing  they  might  easily  overtake  the  surveyors  the 


40  THE  HISTORY  OF 

next.     In  the  mean  time  they  sent  out  some  of  their  most  expert  gunners, 
who  brought  in  four  more  wild,  turkeys. 

This  part  of  the  country  being  very  proper  for  raising  cattle  and  hogs,  we 
observed  the  inhabitants  lived  in  great  plenty  without  killing  themselves  with 
labour.  I  found  near  our  camp  some  plants  of  that  kind  of  rattle-snake  root, 
called  star-grass.  The  leaves  shoot  out  circularly,  and  grow  horizontally 
and  near  the  ground.  The  root  is  in  shape  not  unlike  the  rattle  of  that  ser- 
pent, and  is  a  strong  antidote  against  the  bite  of  it.  It  is  very  bitter,  and 
where  it  meets  with  any  poison,  works  by  violent  sweats,  but  where  it  meets 
with  none,  has  no  sensible  operation  but  that  of  putting  the  spirits  into  a 
great  hurry,  and  so  of  promoting  perspiration.  The  rattle-snake  has  an  utter 
antipathy  to  this  plant,  insomuch  that  if  you  smear  your  hands  with  the  juice 
of  it,  you  may  handle  the  viper  safely.  Thus  much  I  can  say  on  my  own 
experience,  that  once  in  July,  when  these  snakes  are  in  their  greatest  vigour, 
I  besmeared  a  dog's  nose  with  the  powder  of  this  root,  and  made  him  tram- 
ple on  a  large  snake  several  times,  which,  however,  was  so  far  from  biting 
him,  that  it  perfectly  sickened  at  the  dog's  approach,  and  turned  its  head 
from  him  with  the  utmost  aversion. 

Our  chaplain,  to  show  his  zeal,  made  an  excursion  of  six  miles  to  christen 
two  children,  but  without  the  least  regard  to  the  good  cheer  at  these  so- 
lemnities. 

25th.  The  surveyors,  taking  the  advantage  of  clear  woods,  pushed  on  the 
line  seven  miles  and  forty  poles.  In  the  mean  time  the  commissioners  marched 
with  the  baggage  about  twelve  miles,  and  took  up  their  quarters  near  the 
banks  of  the  Beaver  pond,  (which  is  one  branch  of  Fountain  creek,)  just  by 
the  place  where  the  surveyors  were  to  finish  their  day's  work.  In  our  march 
one  of  the  men  killed  a  small  rattle-snake,  which  had  no  more  than  two  rat- 
tles. Those  vipers  remain  in  vigour  generally  till  towards  the  end  of  Sep- 
tember, or  sometimes  later,  if  the  weather  continue  a  little  warm.  On  this 
consideration  we  had  provided  three  several  sorts  of  rattle-snake  root,  made 
up  into  proper  doses,  and  ready  for  immediate  use,  in  case  any  one  of  the 
men  or  their  horses  had  been  bitten.  We  crossed  Fountain  creek  once  more 
in  our  journey  this  day,  and  found  the  grounds  very  rich,  notwithstanding 
they  were  broken  and  stony.  Near  the  place  where  we  encamped  the 
county  of  Brunswick  is  divided  from  the  Isle  of  Wight.  These  counties  run 
quite  on  the  back  of  Surry  and  Prince  George,  and  are  laid  out  in  very  ir- 
regular figures.  As  a  proof  the  land  mended  hereabouts,  we  found  the  plan- 
tations began  to  grow  thicker  by  much  than  we  had  found  them  lower  down. 

26th.  We  hurried  away  the  surveyors  without  loss  of  time,  who  extended  the 
line  ten  miles  and  a  hundred  and  sixty  poles,  the  grounds  proving  dry  and  free 
from  under- woods.  By  the  way  the  chain-carriers  killed  two  more  rattle-snakes, 
which  I  own  was  a  little  ungrateful,  because  two  or  three  of  the  men  had 
strided  over  them  without  receiving  any  hurt ;  though  one  of  these  vipers 
had  made  bold  to  strike  at  one  of  the  baggage  horses,  as  he  went  along,  but 
by  good  luck  his  teeth  only  grazed  on  the  hoof,  without  doing  him  any 
damage.  However,  these  accidents  were,  I  think,  so  many  arguments  that 
we  had  very  good  reason  to  defer  our  coming  out  till  the  20th  of  September. 
We  observed  abundance  of  St.  Andrew's  cross  in  all  the  woods  we  passed 
through,  which  is  the  common  remedy  used  by  the  Indian  traders  to  cure 
their  horses  when  they  are  bitten  by  rattle-snakes.  It  grows  on  a  straight 
stem,  about  eighteen  inches  high,  and  bears  a  yellow  flower  on  the  top,  that 
has  an  eye  of  black  in  the  middle,  with  several  pairs  of  narrow  leaves  shoot- 
ing out  at  right  angles  from  the  stock  over  against  one  another.  This  anti- 
dote grows  providentially  all  over  the  woods,  and  upon  all  sorts  of  soil,  that 
it  may  be  every  where  at  hand  in  case  a  disaster  should  happen,  and  may  be 
had  all  the  hot  months  while  the  snakes  are  dangerous. 


-f 


•h 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  4J 

About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  took  up  our  quarters  upon  Caban 
branch,  which  also  discharges  itself  into  Fountain  creek.  On  our  way  we 
observed  several  meadows  clothed  with  very  rank  grass,  and  branches  full  of 
tall  reeds,  in  which  cattle  keep  themselves  fat  good  part  of  the  winter.  But 
hogs  are  as  injurious  to  both  as  goats  are  said  to  be  to  vines,  and  for  that  rea- 
son it  was  not  lawful  to  sacrifice  them  to  Bacchus.  We  halted  by  the  way 
to  christen  two  children  at  a  spring,  where  their  mothers  waylaid  us  for 
that  good  purpose. 

27th.  It  was  ten  o'clock  before  the  surveyors  got  to  work,  because  some  of 
the  horses  had  straggled  a  great  distance  from  the  camp.  Nevertheless, 
meeting  with  practicable  woods,  they  advanced  the  line  nine  miles  and  a  hun- 
dred and  four  poles.  We  crossed  over  Pea  creek  about  four  miles  from  our 
quarters,  and,  three  miles  farther,  Lizard  creek,  both  which  empty  their  wa- 
ters into  Roanoke  river.  Between  these  two  creeks  a  poor  man  waited  for 
us  with  five  children  to  be  baptized^  and  we  halted  till  the  ceremony  was 
ended.  The  land  seemed  to  be  very  good,  by  the  largeness  of  the  trees, 
though  very  stony.  We  proceeded  as  far  as  Pigeon-roost  creek,  which  also 
runs  into  Roanoke,  and  there  quartered.  We  had  not  the  pleasure  of  the 
company  of  any  of  the  Carolina  commissioners  in  this  day's  march,  except 
Mr.  Moseley's,  the  rest  tarrying  behind  to  wait  the  coming  up  of  their  baggage 
cart,  which  they  had  now  not  seen  nor  heard  (though  the  wheels  made  a  dis- 
mal noise)  for  several  days  past.  Indeed  it  was  a  very  difficult  undertaking  to 
conduct  a  cart  through  such  pathless  and  perplexed  woods,  and  no  wonder 
if  its  motion  was  a  little  planetary.  We  would  have  paid  them  the  compli- 
ment of  waiting  for  them,  could  we  have  done  it  at  any  other  expense  but 
that  of  the  public. 

In  the  stony  grounds  we  rode  over  we  found  great  quantity  of  the  true  ipo- 
coacanna,  which  in  this  part  of  the  world  is  called  Indian  physic.  This  has  se- 
veral stalks  growing  up  from  the  same  root  about  a  foot  high,  bearing  a  leaf 
resembling  that  of  a  strawberry.  It  is  not  so  strong  as  that  from  Brazil,  but 
has  the  same  happy  effects,  if  taken  in  somewhat  a  larger  dose.  It  is  an  ex- 
cellent vomit,  and  generally  cures  intermitting  fevers  and  bloody  fluxes  at 
once  or  twice  taking.  There  is  abundunce  of  it  in  the  upper  part  of  the 
country,  where  it  delights  most  in  a  stony  soil  intermixed  with  black  mould. 

28th.  Our  surveyors  got  early  to  work,  yet  could  forward  the  line  but  six 
miles  and  a  hundred  and  twenty-one  poles,  because  of  the  uneven  grounds 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Roanoke,  which  they  crossed  in  this  day's  work. 
In  that  place  the  river  is  forty-nine  poles  wide,  and  rolls  down  a  crystal 
stream  of  very'  sweet  water,  insomuch  that  when  there  comes  to  be  a 
great  monarch  in  this  part  of  the  world,  he  will  cause  all  the  water  for  his 
I  own  table  to  be  brought  from  Roanoke,  as  the  great  kings  of  Persia  did 
theirs  from  the  Nile,  and  Choaspis,  because  the  waters  of  those  rivers  were 
light,  and  not  apt  to  corrupt.* 

The  great  falls  of  Roanoke  lie  about  twenty  miles  lower,  to  which  a  sloop 
of  moderate  burthen  may  come  up.  There  are,  besides  these,  many  smaller 
falls  above,  though  none  that  entirely  intercept  the  passage  of  the  river,  as 
the  great  ones  do,  by  a  chain  of  rocks  for  eight  miles  together.  The  river 
forks  about  thirty-six  miles  higher,  and  both  branches  are  pretty  equal  in 
breadth  where  they  divide,  though  the  southern,  now  called  the  Dan,  runs  up 
the  farthest.  That  to  the  north  runs  away  near  north-west,  and  is  called  the 
Staunton,  and  heads  not  far  from  the  source  of  Appomattox  river,  while  the 

*  The  same  humow  prevails  at  this  day  in  the  kings  of  Denmark,  who  order  all  the 
East.  India  ships  of  that  nation  to  cail  at  the  cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  take  in  a  but  of  wa- 
ter from  a  spring  on  the  Table  Hill,  and  bring  it  to  Copenhagen,  for  their  Majesties'  own 
drinking. 


42  THE  HISTORY  OF 

Dan  stretches  away  pretty  near  west,  and  runs  clear  through  the  great 
mountains. 

We  did  not  follow  the  surveyors  till  towards  noon,  being  detained  in  our 
camp  to  christen  several  more  children.  We  were  conducted  a  nearer  way, 
by  a  famous  woodsman,  called  Epaphroditus  Bamton.  This  forester  spends 
all  his  time  in  ranging  the  woods,  and  is  said  to  make  great  havoc  among  the 
deer,  and  other  inhabitants  of  the  forest,  not  much  wilder  than  himself 

We  proceeded  to  the  canoe  landing  on  Roanoke,  where  we  passed  the 
river  with  the  baggage.  But  the  horses  were  directed  to  a  ford  about  a  mile 
higher,  called  by  the  Indians  Moni-seep,  which  signifies,  in  their  jargon,  shal- 
low water.  This  is  the  ford  where  the  Indian  traders  used  to  cross  with  their 
horses,  in  their  way  to  the  Catawba  nation.  There  are  many  rocks  in  the 
river  thereabouts,  on  which  grows  a  kind  of  water  grass,  which  the  wild 
geese  are  fond  of,  and  resort  to  it  in  great  numbers.  We  landed  on  the  south 
side  of  Roanoke,  at  a  plantation  of  Qpl.  Mumford's,  where,  by  that  gentle- 
man's special  directions,  we  met  with  sundry  refreshments.  Here  we  pitched 
our  tent,  for  the  benefit  of  the  prospect,  upon  an  eminence  that  overlooked 
a  broad  piece  of  low  ground,  very  rich,  though  liable  to  be  overflowed.  By 
the  way,  one  of  our  men  killed  another  rattle-snake,  with  eleven  rattles,  hav- 
ing a  large  gray  squirrel  in  his  maw,  the  head  of  which  was  already  digested, 
while  the  body  remained  still  entire.  The  way  these  snakes  catch  their  prey 
is  thus  :  They  ogle  the  poor  little  animal,  till  by  force  of  the  charm  he  falls 
down  stupified  and  senseless  on  the  ground.  In  that  condition  the  snake  ap- 
proaches, and  moistens  first  one  ear  and  theii  the  other  with  his  spawl,  and 
after  that  the  other  parts  of  the  head,  to  make  all  slippery.  When  that  is 
done,  he  draws  this  member  into  his  mouth,  and  after  it,  by  slow  degrees,  all 
the  rest  of  the  body. 

29th.  This  being  Sunday,  we  had  divine  service  and  a  sermon,  at  which 
several  of  the  borderers  assisted,  and  we  concluded  the  duties  of  the  day  by 
christening  five  children.  Our  devotion  being  performed  in  the  open  field, 
like  that  of  Mr.  Whitfield's  flocks,  an  unfortunate  shower  of  rain  had  almost 
dispersed  our  congregation.  About  four  in  the  afternoon  the  Carolina  com- 
missioners made  a  shift  to  come  up  with  us,  whom  we  had  left  at  Pigeon-roost 
creek  the  Friday  before,  waiting  for  their  provisions.  When  their  cart  came 
up  they  prudently  discharged  it,  and  rather  chose  to  hire  two  men  to  carry 
some  part  of  their  baggage.  The  rest  they  had  been  obliged  to  leave  behind, 
in  the  crotch  of  an  old  tree,  for  want  of  proper  conveniences  to  transport  it 
any  farther.  *" 

We  found  in  the  low  ground  several  plants  of  the  fern  root,  which  is  said 
to  be  much  the  strongest  antidote  yet  discovered  against  the  poison  of  the 
rattle-snake.  The  leaves  of  it  resemble  those  of  fern,  from  whence  it  obtained 
its  name.  Several  stalks  shoot  from  the  same  root,  about  six  inches  long,  that 
lie  mostly  on  the  ground.  It  grows  in  a  very  rich  soil,  under  the  protection 
of  some  tall  tree,  that  shades  it  from  the  meridian  beams  of  the  sun.  The 
root  has  a  faint  spicy  taste,  and  is  preferred  by  the  southern  Indians  to  all 
other  counter-poisons  in  this  country.  But  there  is  another  sort  preferred  by 
the  northern  Indians,  that  they  call  Seneca  rattle-snake  root,  to  which  wonder- 
ful virtues  are  ascribed  in  the  cure  of  pleurisies,  fevers,,  rheumatisms,  and 
dropsies ;  besides  it  being  a  powerful  antidote  against  the  venom  of  the  rattle- 
snake. 

In  the  evening  the  messenger  we  had  sent  to  Christiana  returned  with  five 
Saponi  Indians.  We  could  not  entirely  rely  on  the  dexterity  of  our  own 
men,  which  induced  us  to  send  for  some  of  the  Indians.  We  agreed  with 
two  of  the  most  expert  of  them,  upon  reasonable  terms,  to  hunt  for  us  the 
remaining  part  of  our  expedition.    But  one  of  them  falling  sick  soon  after, 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  43 

we  were  content  to  take  only  the  other,  whose  hunting  name  was  Bear-skin. 
This  Indian,  either  by  his  skill  or  good  luck,  supplied  us  plentifully  all  the 
way  with  meat,  seldom  discharging  his  piece  in  vain.  By  his  assistance, 
therefore,  we  were  able  to  keep  our  men  to  their  business,  without  suffering 
them  to  straggle  about  the  woods,  on  pretence  of  furnishing  us  with  neces- 
sary food. 

30th.  It  had  rained  all  night,  and  made  every  thing  so  wet,  that  our  survey- 
ors could  not  get  to  their  work  before  noon.  They  could  therefore  measure  no 
more  than  four  miles  and  two  hundred  and  twenty  poles,  which,  according  to  the 
best  information  we  could  get,  was  near  as  high  as  the  uppermost  inhabitant 
at  that  time.  We  crossed  the  Indian  trading  path  above-mentioned  about  a  mile 
from  our  camp,  and  a  mile  beyond  that  forded  Haw-tree  creek.  The  woods 
we  passed  through  had  all  the  tokens  of  sterility,  except  a  small  poisoned 
field,  on  which  grew  no  tree  bigger  than  a  slender  sapling.  The  larger  trees 
had  been  destroyed,  either  by  fire  or  caterpillars,  which  is  often  the  case  in 
the  upland  woods,  and  the  places  where  such  desolation  happens  are  called 
poisoned  fields.  We  took  up  our  quarters  upon  a  branch  of  Great  creek, 
where  there  was  tolerable  good  grass  for  the  poor  horses.  These  poor  ani- 
mals having  now  got  beyond  the  latitude  of  corn,  were  obliged  to  shift  as 
well  as  they  could  for  themselves. 

On  our  way  the  men  roused  a  bear,  which  being  the  first  we  had  seen 
since  we  came  out,  the  poor  beast  had  many  pursuers.  Several  persons  con- 
tended for  the  credit  of  killing  him :  though  he  was  so  poor  he  was  not 
worth  the  powder.  This  was  some  disappointment  to  our  woodsmen,  who 
commonly  prefer  the  flesh  of  bears  to  every  kind  of  venison.  There  is  some- 
thing indeed  peculiar  to  this  animal,  namely,  that  its  fat  is  very  firm,  and  may 
be  eaten  plentifully  without  rising  in  the  stomach.  1  he  paw  (which,  when 
stripped  of  the  hair,  looks  like  a  human  foot,)  is  accounted  a  delicious  morsel 
by  all  who  are  not  shocked  at  the  ungracious  resemblance  it  bears  to  a 
human  foot. 

October  1st.  There  was  a  white  frost  this  morning  on  the  ground,  occa- 
sioned by  a  north-west  wind,  whieh  stood  our  friend  in  dispersing  all  aguish 
damps,  and  making  the  air  wholesome  at  the  same  time  that  it  made  it  cold. 
Encouraged  therefore  by  the  weather,  our  surveyors  got  to  work  early,  and 
by  the  benefit  of  clear  woods,  and  level  ground,  drove  the  line  twelve  miles 
and  twelve  poles. 

At  a  small  distance  from  our  camp  we  crossed  Great  creek,  and  about 
seven  miles  further  Nut-bush  creek,  so  called  from  the  many  hazel-trees  grow- 
ing upon  it.  By  good  luck  many  branches  of  these  creeks  were  full  of  reeds, 
to  the  great  comfort  of  our  horses.  Near  five  miles  from  thence  we  encamp- 
ed on  a  branch  that  runs  into  Nut-bush  creek,  where  those  reeds  flourished 
more  than  ordinary.  The  land  we  marched  over  was  for  the  most  part 
broken  and  stony,  and  in  some  places  covered  over  with  thickets  almost  im- 
penetrable. At  night  the  surveyors,  taking  advantage  of  a  clear  sky,  made 
a  third  trial  of  the  variation,  and  found  it  still  something  less  than  three  de- 
grees, so  that  it  did  not  diminish  by  advancing  towards  the  west,  or  by 
approaching  the  mountains,  nor  yet  by  increasing  our  distance  from  the  sea  ; 
but  remained  much  the  same  we  had  found  it  at  Coratuck  inlet.  One  of  our 
Indians  killed  a  large  fawn,  which  was  very  welcome,  though,  like  Hudibras' 
horse,  it  had  hardly  flesh  enough  to  cover  its  bones.  In  the  low  grounds  the 
Carolina  gentlemen  showed  us  another  plant,  which  they  said  was  used  in 
their  country  to  cure  the  bite  of  the  rattle-snake.  It  put  forth  several  leaves 
in  figure  like  a  heart,  and  was  clouded  so  like  the  common  Assa-rabacca,  that 
I  conceived  it  to  be  of  that  family. 

2d.  So  soon  as  the  horses  could  be  found,  we  hurried  away  the  surveyors, 


44  THE  HISTORY  OF 

who  advanced  the  line  nine  miles  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  poles.  About 
three  miles  from  the  camp  they  crossed  a  large  creek,  which  the  Indians  called 
Massamoni,  signifying,  in  their  language,  Paint  creek,  because  of  the  great 
quantity  of  red  ochre  found  in  its  banks. '  This  in  every  fresh  tinges  the  water 
just  as  the  same  mineral  did  formerly,  and  to  this  day  continues  to  tinge,  the 
famous  river  Adonis,  in  Phoenicia,  by  which  there  hangs  a  celebrated  fable. 
Three  miles  beyond  that  we  passed  another  water  with  difficulty,  called  Ya- 
patsco,  or  Beaver  creek.  Those  industrious  animals  had  dammed  up  the  wa- 
ter so  high,  that  we  had  much  ado  to  get  over.  It  is  hardly  credible  how 
much  work  of  this  kind  they  will  do  in  the  space  of  one  night.  They  bite 
young  saplings  into  proper  lengths  with  their  fore-teeth,  which  are  exceeding 
strong  and  sharp,  and  afterwards  drag  them  to  the  place  where  they  intend 
to  stop  the  water.  Then  they  know  how  to  join  timber  and  earth  together 
with  so  much  skill,  that  their  work  is  able  to  resist  the  most  violent  flood  that 
can  happen.  In  this  they  are  qualified  to  instruct  their  betters,  it  being  cer- 
tain their  dams  will  stand  firm  when  the  strongest  that  are  made  by  men  will 
be  carried  down  the  stream.  We  observed  very  broad  low  grounds  upon 
this  creek,  with  a  growth  of  large  trees,  and  all  the  other  signs  of  fertility, 
but  seemed  subject  to  be  every  where  overflowed  in  a  fresh.  The  certain 
way  to  catch  these  sagacious  animals  is  this :  Squeeze  all  the  juice  out  of  the 
large  pride  of  the  beaver,  and  six  drops  out  of  the  small  pride.  Powder  the 
inward  bark  of  sassafras,  and  mix  it  with  this  juice,  then  bait  therewith  a 
steel  trap,  and  they  will  eagerly  come  to  it,  and  be  taken. 

About  three  miles  and  a  half  further  we  came  to  the  banks  of  another  creek, 
called,  in  the  Saponi  language,  Ohimpa-moni,  signifying  Jumping  creek,  from 
the  frequent  jumping  of  fish  during  the  spring  season. 

Here  we  encamped,  and  by  the  time  the  horses  were  hobbled,  our  hunters 
brought  us  no  less  than  a  brace  and  a  half  of  deer,  which  made  great  plenty, 
and  consequently  great  content  in  our  quarters.  Some  of  our  people  had 
shot  a  great  wild  cat,  which  was  that  fatal  moment  making  a  comfortable 
meal  upon  a  fox-squirrel,  and  an  ambitious  sportsman  of  our  company 
claimed  the  merit  of  killing  this  monster  after  it  was  dead.  The  wild  cat  is 
as  big  again  as  any  household  cat,  and  much  the  fiercest  inhabitant  of  the 
woods.  Whenever  it  is  disabled,  it  will  tear  its  own  flesh  for  madness. 
Although  a  panther  will  run  away  from  a  man,  a  wild  cat  will  only  make  a 
surly  retreat,  and  now  and  then  facing  about,  if  he  be. too  closely  pursued; 
and  will  even  pursue  in  his  turn,  if  he  observe  the  least  sign  of  fear  or  even 
of  caution  in  those  that  pretend  to  follow  him.  The  flesh  of  this  beast,  as  well 
as  of  the  panther,  is  as  white  as  veal,  and  altogether  as  sweet  and  delicious. 

3d.  We  got  to  work  early  this  morning,  and  carried  the  line  eight  miles  and 
a  hundred  and  sixty  poles.  We  forded  several  runs  of  excellent  water,  and 
afterwards  traversed  a  large  level  of  high  land  full  of  lofty  walnut,  poplar,  and 
white  oak  trees,  which  are  certain  proofs  of  a  fruitful  soil.  This  level  was  near 
two  miles  in  length,  and  of  an  unknown  breadth,  quite  out  of  danger  of 
being  overflowed,  which  is  a  misfortune  most  of  the  low  grounds  are  liable 
to  in  those  parts.  As  we  marched  along  we  saw  many  buffalo  tracks,  and 
abundance  of  their  dung  very  fresh,  but  could  not  have  the  pleasure  of  see- 
ing them.  They  either  smelt  us  out,  having  that  sense  very  quick,  or  else 
were  alarmed  at  the  noise  that  so  many  people  must  necessarily  make  in 
marching  along.  At  the  sight  of  a  man  they  will  snort  and  grunt,  cock  up 
their  ridiculous  short  tails,  and  tear  up  the  ground  with  a  sort  of  timorous 
fury.  These  wild  cattle  hardly  ever  range  alone,  but  herd  together  like  those 
that  are  tame.  They  are  seldom  seen  so  far  north  as  forty  degrees  of  latitude, 
delighting  much  in  canes  and  reeds,  which  grow  generally  more  southerly. 

We  quartered  on  the  banks  of  a  creek  that  the  inhabitants  call  Tewaho- 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE 


45 


miny,  or  Tuskarooda  creek,  because  one  of  that  nation  had  been  killed  there- 
abouts, and  his  body  thrown  into  the  creek. 

Our  people  had  the  fortune  to  kill  a  brace  of  does,  one  of  which  we  pre- 
sented to  the  Carolina  gentlemen,  who  were  glad  to  partake  of  the  bounty  of 
Providence,  at  the  same  time  that  they  sneered  at  us  for  depending  upon  it. 

4th.  We  hurried  away  the  surveyors  about  nine  this  morning,  who  extend- 
ed the  line  seven  miles  and  a  hundred  and  sixty  poles,  notwithstanding  the 
ground  was  exceedingly  uneven.  At  the  distance  of  five  miles  we  forded  a 
stream  to  which  we  gave  the  name  of  Bluewing  creek,  because  of  the  great 
number  of  those  fowls  that  then  frequented  it.  About  two  and  a  half  miles 
beyond  that,  we  came  upon  Sugar-tree  creek,  so  called  from  the  many  trees 
of  that  kind  that  grow  upon  it.  By  tapping  this  tree,  in  the  first  warm  wea- 
ther in  February,  one  may  get  from  twenty  to  forty  gallons  of  liquor,  very 
sweet  to  the  taste  and  agreeable  to  the  stomach.  This  may  be  boiled  into 
molasses  first,  and  afterwards  into  very  good  sugar,  allowing  about  ten  gal- 
lons of  the  liquor  to  make  a  pound.  There  is  no  doubt,  too,  that  a  very  fine 
spirit  may  be  distilled  from  the  molasses,  at  least  as  good  as  rum.  The  sugar 
tree  delights  only  in  rich  ground,  where  it  grows  very  tall,  and  by  the  soft- 
ness and  sponginess  of  the  wood  should  be  a  quick  grower.  Near  this  creek 
we  discovered  likewise  several  spice  trees,  the  leaves  of  which  are  fragrant, 
and  the  berries  they  bear  are  black  when  dry,  and  of  a  hot  taste,  not  much 
unlike  pepper.  The  low  grounds  upon  the  creek  are  very  wide,  sometimes 
on  one  side,  sometimes  on  the  other ;  though  most  commonly  upon  the  oppo- 
site shore  the  high  land  advances  close  to  the  bank,  only  on  the  north  side  of 
the  line  it  spreads  itself  into  a  great  breadth  of  rich  low  ground  on  both  sides 
the  creek  for  four  miles  together,  as  far  as  this  stream  runs  into  Hico  river, 
whereof  I  shall  presently  make  mention.  One  of  our  men  spied  three  buffa- 
loes, but  his  piece  being  loaded  only  with  goose-shot,  he  was  able  to  make  no 
effectual  impression  on  their  thick  hides ;  however,  this  disappointment  was 
made  up  by  a  brace  of  bucks,  and  as  many  wild  turkeys,  killed  by  the  rest 
of  the  company.  Thus  Providence  was  very  bountiful  to  our  endeavours, 
never  disappointing  those  that  faithfully  rely  upon  it,  and  pray  heartily  for 
their  daily  bread. 

5th.  This  day  we  met  with  such  uneven  grounds,  and  thick  underwoods, 
that  with  all  our  industry  we  were  able  to  advance  the  line  but  four  miles  and 
three  hundred  and  twelve  poles.  In  this  small  distance  it  intersected  a  large 
stream  four  times,  which  our  Indian  at  first  mistook  for  the  south  branch  of 
Roanoke  river ;  but,  discovering  his  error  soon  after,  he  assured  us  it  was  a 
river  called  Hicootomony,  or  Turkey-buzzard  river,  from  the  great  number 
of  those  unsavoury  birds  that  roost  on  the  tall  trees  growing  near  its  banks. 

Early  in  the  afternoon,  to  our  very  great  surprise,  the  commissioners  of 
Carolina  acquainted  us  with  their  resolution  to  return  home.  This  declara- 
tion of  theirs  seemed  the  more  abrupt,  because  they  had  not  been  so  kind  as 
to  prepare  us,'by  the  least  hint,  of  their  intention  to  desert  us.  We  therefore 
let  them  understand  they  appeared  to  us  to  abandon  the  business  they  came 
about  with  too  much  precipitation,  this  being  but  the  fifteenth  day  since  we 
came  out  the  last  time.  But,  although  we  were  to  be  so  unhappy  as  to  lose 
the  assistance  of  their  great  abilities,  yet  we,  who  were  concerned  for  Vir- 
ginia, determined,  by  the  grace  of  God,  not  to  do  our  work  by  halves,  but,  all 
deserted  as  we  were  like  to  be,  should  think  it  our  duty  to  push  the  line  quite 
to  the  mountains ;  and  if  their  government  should  refuse  to  be  bound  by  so 
much  of  the  line  as  was  run  without  their  commissioners,  yet  at  least  it 
would  bind  Virginia,  and  stand  as  a  direction  how  far  his  majesty's  lands  ex- 
tend to  the  southward.  In  short,  these  gentlemen  were  positive,  and  the  most 
we  could  agree  upon  was  to  subscribe  plots  of  our  work  as  far  as  we  had 

G 


46  THE  HISTORY  OF 

acted  together ;  though  at  the  same  time  we  insisted  these  plots  should  be  gotten 
ready  by  Monday  noon  at  farthest,  when  we  on  the  part  of  Virginia  intend- 
ed, if  we  were  alive,  to  move  forward  without  farther  loss  of  time,  the  season 
being  then  too  far  advanced  to  admit  of  any  unnecessary  or  complaisant 
delays.    '  " 

6th.  We  lay  still  this  day,  being  Sunday,  on  the  bank  of  Hico  river,  and 
had  only  prayers,  our  chaplain  not  having  spirits  enough  to  preach.  The 
gentlemen  of  Carolina  assisted  not  at  our  public  devotions,  because  they  were 
taken  up  all  the  morning  in  making  a  formidable  protest  against  our  proceed- 
ing on  the  line  without  them.  When  the  divine  service  was  over,  the  surveyors 
set  about  making  the  plots  of  so  much  of  the  line  as  we  had  run  this  last 
campaign.  Our  pious  friends  of  Carolina  assisted  in  this  work  with  some 
seeming  scruple,  pretending  it  was  a  violation  of  the  sabbath,  which  we  were 
the  more  surprised  at,  because  it  happened  to  be  the  first  qualm  of  conscience 
they  had  ever  been  troubled  with  during  the  whole  journey.  They  had  made 
no  bones  of  staying  from  prayers  to  hammer  out  an  unnecessary  protest, 
though  divine  service  was  no  sooner  over,  but  an  unusual  fit  of  godliness 
made  them  fancy  that  finishing  the  plots,  which  was  now  matter  of  necessity, 
was  a  profanation  of  the  day.  However,  the  expediency  of  losing  no  time, 
for  us  who  thought  it  our  duty  to  finish  what  we  had  undertaken,  made  such 
a  labour  pardonable. 

In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Fitzwilliam,  one  of  the  commissioners  for  Virginia, 
acquainted  his  colleagues  it  was  his  opinion,  that  by  his  majesty's  order  they 
could  not  proceed  farther  on  the  line,  but  in  conjunction  with  the  commission- 
ers of  Carolina ;  for  which  reason  he  intended  to  retire,  the  next  morning, 
with  those  gentlemen.  This  looked  a  little  odd  in  our  brother  commissioner ; 
though,  in  justice  to  him,  as  well  as  to  our  Carolina  friends,  they  stuck  by  us  as 
long  as  our  good  liquor  lasted,  and  were  so  kind  to  us  as  to  drink  our  good 
journey  to  the  mountains  in  the  last  bottle  we  had  left. 

7th.  The  duplicates  of  the  plots  could  not  be  drawn  fair  this  day  before 
noon,  when  they  were  countersigned  by  the  commissioners  of  each  govern- 
ment. Then  those  of  Carolina  delivered  their  protest,  which  was  by  this 
time  licked  into  form,  and  signed  by  them  all.  And  we  have  been  so  just  to 
them  as  to  set  it  down  at  full  length  in  the  Appendix,  that  their  reasons  for 
leaving  us  may  appear  in  their  full  strength.  After  having  thus  adjusted  all 
our  affairs  with  the  Carolina  commissioners,  and  kindly  supplied  them  with 
bread  to  carry  them  back,  which  they  hardly  deserved  at  our  hands,  we  took 
leave  both  of  them  and  our  colleague,  Mr.  Fitzwilliam.  This  gentleman  had 
still  a  stronger  reason  for  hurrying  him  back  to  Williamsburg,  which  was, 
that  neither  the  general  court  might  lose  an  able  judge,  nor  himself  a  double 
salary,  not  despairing  in  the  least  but  he  should  have  the  whole  pay  of  com- 
missioner into  the  bargain,  though  he  did  not  half  the  work.  This,  to  be  sure, 
was  relying  more  on  the  interest  of  his  friends  than  on  the  justice  of  his 
cause ;  in  which,  however,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  miscarry,  when  it  came 
to  be  fairly  considered, 

It  was  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  before  these  arduous  affairs  could  be 
despatched,  and  then,  all  forsaken  as  we  were,  we  held  on  our  course  towards 
the  west.  But  it  was  our  misfortune  to  meet  with  so  many  thickets  in  this 
afternoon's  work,  that  we  could  advance  no  further  than  two  miles  and  two 
hundred  and  sixty  poles.  In  this  small  distance  we  crossed  the  Hico  the  fifth 
time,  and  quartered  near  Buffalo  creek,  so  named  from  the  frequent  tokens 
we  discovered  of  that  American  behemoth.  Here  the  bushes  were  so  intole- 
rably thick,  that  we  were  obliged  to  cover  the  bread  bags  with  our  deer  skins, 
otherwise  the  joke  of  one  of  the  Indians  must  have  happened  to  us  in  good 
earnest,  that  in  a  few  days  we  must  cut  up  our  house  to  make  bags  for  our 


y 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE. 


47 


bread,  and  so  be  forced  to  expose  our  backs  in  compliment  to  our  bellies.  We 
computed  we  had  then  biscuit  enough  left  to  last  us,  with  good  management, 
,  seven  weeks  longer ;  and  this  being  our  chief  dependence,  it  imported  us  to 
be  very  careful  both  in  the  carriage  and  the  distribution  of  it. 

We  had  now  no  other  drink  but  what  Adam  drank  in  Paradise,  though  to 
our  comfort  we  found  the  water  excellent,  by  the  help  of  which  we  perceived 
our  appetites  to  mend,  our  slumbers  to  sweeten,  the  stream  of  life  to  run  cool 
and  peaceably  in  our  veins,  and  if  ever  we  dreamed  of  women,  they  were 
kind.  Our  men  killed  a  very  fat  buck  and  several  turkeys.  These  two  kinds  of 
meat  boiled  together,  with  the  addition  of  a  little  rice  or  French  barley,  made 
.  excellent  soup,  and,  what  happens  rarely  in  other  good  things,  it  never  cloyed, 
no  more  than  an  engaging  wife  would  do,  by  being  a  constant  dish.  Our  In- 
dian was  very  superstitious  in  this  matter,  and  told  us,  with  a  face  fell  of  con- 
cern, that  if  we  continued  to  boil  venison  and  turkey  together,  we  should  for 
the  future  kill  nothing,  because  the  spirit  that  presided  over  the  woods  would 
drive  all  the  game  out  of  our  sight.  But  we  had  the  happiness  to  find  this  an 
idle  superstition,  and  though  his  argument  could  not  convince  us,  yet  our  repeat- 
ed experience  at  last,  with  much  ado,  convinced  him.  We  observed  abundance 
of  colt's  foot  and  maiden-hair  in  many  places,  and  no  where  a  larger  quantity 
than  here.  They  are  both  excellent  pectoral  plants,  and  seem  to  have  greater 
virtues  much  in  this  part  of  the  world  than  in  more  northern  climates ;  and  I 
believe  it  may  pass  for  a  rule  in  botanies,  that  where  any  vegetable  is  planted 
by  the  hand  of  nature,  it  has  more  virtue  than  in  places  whereto  it  is  trans- 
planted by  the  curiosity  of  man. 

8th.  Notwithstanding  we  hurried  away  the  surveyors  very  early,  yet  the 
underwoods  embarrassed  them  so  much  that  they  could  with  difficulty  ad- 
vance the  line  four  miles  and  twenty  poles.  Our  clothes  suffered  extremely 
by  the  bushes,  and  it  was  really  as  much  as  both  our  hands  could  do  to  pre- 
serve our  eyes  in  our  heads.  Our  poor  horses,  too,  could  hardly  drag  their 
loads  through  the  saplings,  which  stood  so  close  together  that  it  was  necessary 
for  them  to  draw  and  carry  at  the  same  time.  We  quartered  near  a  spring 
of  very  fine  water,  as  soft  as  oil  and  as  cold  as  ice,  to  make  us  amends  for  the 
want  of  wine.  And  our  Indian  knocked  down  a  very  fat  doe,  just  time 
enough  to  hinder  us  from  going  supperless  to  bed.  The  heavy  baggage 
could  not  come  up  with  us,  because  of  the  excessive  badness  of  the  ways. 
This  gave  us  no  small  uneasiness,  but  it  went  worse  with  the  poor  men  that 
guarded  it.  They  had  nothing  in  the  world  with  them  but  dry  bread,  nor 
durst  they  eat  any  of  that,  for  fear  of  inflaming  their  thirst,  in  a  place  where 
they  could  find  no  water  to  quench  it.  This  was,  however,  the  better  to  be 
endured,  becaiise  it  was  the  first  fast  any  one  had  kept  during  the  whole  jour- 
ney, and  then,  thanks  to  the  gracious  Guardian  of  the  woods !  there  was  no 
more  than  a  single  meal  lost  to  a  few  of  the  company.  We  were  entertained 
this  night  with  the  yell  of  a  whole  family  of  wolves,  in  which  we  could  dis- 
tinguish the  treble,  tenor  and  bass,  very  clearly.  These  beasts  of  prey  kept 
pretty  much  upon  our  track,  being  tempted  by  the  garbage  of  the  creatures 
we  killed  every  day  ;  for  which  we  were  serenaded  with  their  shrill  pipes  almost 
every  night.  This  beast  is  not  so  untameable  as  the  panther,  but  the  Indians 
know  how  to  gentle  their  whelps,  and  use  them  about  their  cabins  instead  of 
dogs. 

9th.  The  thickets  were  hereabouts  so  impenetrable,  that  we  were  obliged, 
at  first  setting  off  this  morning,  to  order  four  pioneers  to  clear  the  way  be- 
fore the  surveyors.  But,  after  about  two  miles  of  these  rough  woods,  we 
had  the  pleasure  to  meet  with  open  grounds  and  not  very  uneven,  by  the 
help  of  which  we  were  enabled  to  push  the  line  about  six  miles.  The  baggage 
that  lay  short  of  our  camp  last  night  came  up  about  noon,  and  the  men  made 


Z_ 


48  THE  HISTORY  OF 

heavy  complaints,  that  they  had  been  half  starved,  like  Tantalus,  in  the  midst 
of  plenty,  for  the  reason  above  mentioned. 

The  soil  we  past  over  this  day  was  generally  very  good,  being  clothed 
with  large  trees,  of  poplar,  hickory  and  oak.  But  another  certain  token  of 
its  fertility  was,  that  wild  angelica  grew  plentifully  upon  it.  The  root  of 
this  plant,  being  very  warm  and  aromatic,  is  coveted  by  woodsmen  extreme- 
ly as  a  dry  dram,  that  is,  when  rum,  that  cordial  for  all  distresses,  is  wanting. 
Several  deer  came  into  our  view  as  we  marched  along,  but  none  into  the  pot, 
which  made  it  necessary  for  us  to  sup  on  the  fragments  we  had  been  so 
provident  as  to  carry  along  with  us.  This  being  but  a  temperate  repast, 
made  some  of  our  hungry  fellows  call  the  place  we  lodged  at  that  night, 
Bread  and  Water  Camp. 

A  great  flock  of  cranes  flew  over  our  quarters,  that  were  exceeding  clamo- 
rous in  their  flight.  They  seem  to  steer  their  course  towards  the  south  (be- 
ing birds  of  passage)  in  quest  of  warmer  weather.  They  only  took  this 
country  in  their  way,  being  as  rarely  met  with,  in  this  part  of  the  world,  as  a 
highwayman  or  a  beggar.  These  birds  travel  generally  in  flocks,  and  when 
they  roost  they  place  sentinels  upon  some^of  the  highest  trees,  which  con- 
stantly stand  upon  one  leg  to  keep  themselves  waking.* 

Our  Indian  killed  nothing  all  day  but  a  mountain  partridge,  which  a  little 
resembled  the  common  partridge  in  the  plumage,  but  was  near  as  large  as  a 
dunghill  hen.  These  are  very  frequent  towards  the  mountains,  though  we 
had  the  fortune  to  meet  with  very  few.  They  are  apt  to  be  shy,  and  conse- 
quently the  noise  of  so  great  a  number  of  people  might  easily  scare  them 
away  from  our  sight.  We  found  what  we  conceived  to  be  good  limestone 
in  several  places,  and  a  great  quantity  of  blue  slate. 

10th.  The  day  began  very  fortunately  by  killing  a  fat  doe,  and  two  brace 
of  wild  turkeys ;  so  the  plenty  of  the  morning  made  amends  for  the  short 
commons  over  night.  One  of  the  new  men  we  brought  out  with  us  the  last 
time  was  unfortunately  heard  to  wish  himself  at  home,  and  for  that  show  of 
impatience  was  publicly  reprimanded  at  the  head  of  the  men,  who  were  all 
drawn  up  to  witness  his  disgrace.  He  was  asked  how  he  came  so  soon  to 
be  tired  of  the  company  of  so  many  brave  fellows,  and  whether  it  was  the 
danger  or  the  fatigue  of  the  journey  that  disheartened  him]  This  public  re- 
proof from  thenceforward  put  an  effectual  stop  to  all  complaints,  and  not  a 
man  amongst  us  after  that  pretended  so  much  as  to  wish  himself  in  Paradise. 
A  small  distance  from  our  camp  we  crossed  a-  pleasant  stream  of  water 
called  Cocquade  creek,  and  something  more  than  a  mile  from  thence  our  line 
intersected  the  south  branch  of  Roanoke  river  the  first  time,  which  we  called 
the  Dan.  It  was  about  two  hundred  yards  wide  where  we  forded  it,  and 
when  we  came  over  to  the  west  side,  we  found  the  banks  lined  with  a  forest 
of  tall  canes,  that  grew  more  than  a  furlong  in  depth.  So  that  it  cost  us 
abundance  of  time  and  labour  to  cut  a  passage  through  them  wide  enough 
for  our  baggage.  In  the  mean  time  we  had  leisure  to  take  a  full  view  of  this 
charming  river.     The  stream,  which  was  perfectly  clear,  ran  down  about 

*  Nor  are  these  birds  the  only  animals  that  appoint  scouts  to  keep  the  main  body  from 
being  surprised.  For  the  baboons,  whenever  they  go  upon  any  mischievous  expedition, 
such  as  robbing  an  orchard,  place  sentinels  to  look  out  towards  every  point  of  the 
compass,  and  give  notice  of  any  danger.  Then  ranking  themselves  in  one  file,  that  reaches 
from  the  mountain  where  they  harbour,  to  the  orchard  they  intend  to  rob,  some  of  them 
toss  the  fruits  from  the  trees  to  those  that  stand  nearest,  these  throw  them  to  the  'next, 
and^so  from  one  to  the  other,  till  the  fruit  is  all  secured  in  a  few  minutes  out  of  harm's 
way.  In  the  mean  time,  if  any  of  the  scouts  should  be  careless  at  their  posts,  and  suffer 
any  surprise,  the}r  are  torn  to  pieces  without  mercy.  In  case  of  danger  these  sentinels 
set  up  a  fearful  cry,  upon  which  the  rest  take  the  alarm,  and  scour  away  to  the  moun- 
tains as  fast  as  the)'-  can. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  49 

two  knots,  or  two  miles,  an  hour,  when  the  water  was  at  the  lowest.  The 
bottom  was  covered  with  a  coarse  gravel,  spangled  very  thick  with  a 
shining  substance,  that  almost  dazzled  the  eye,  and  the  sand  upon  either  shore 
sparkled  with  the  same  splendid  particles.  At  first  sight,  the  sunbeams 
giving  a  yellow  cast  to  these  spangles  made  us  fancy  them  to  be  gold  dust, 
and  consequently  that  all  our  fortunes  were  made.  Such  hopes  as  these 
were  the  less  extravagant,  because  several  rivers  lying  much  about  the  same 
latitude  with  this  have  formerly  abounded  with  fragments  of  that  tempting 
metal.  Witness  the  Tagus  in  Portugal,  the  Heber  in  Thrace,  and  the  Pactolus 
in  Lesser  Asia ;  not  to  mention  the  rivers  on  the  Gold  Coast  in  Africa,  which 
lie  in  a  more  southern  climate.  But  we  soon  found  ourselves  mistaken,  and 
our  gold  dust  dwindled  into  small  flakes  of  isinglass.  However,  though 
this  did  not  make  the  river  so  rich  as  we  could  wish,  yet  it  made  it  exceed- 
ingly beautiful.  We  marched  about  two  miles  and  a  half  beyond  this  river, 
as  far  as  Cane  creek,  so  called  from  a  prodigious  quantity  of  tall  canes  that 
fringed  the  banks  of  it.  On  the  west  side  of  this  creek  we  marked  out  our 
quarters,  and  were  glad  to  find  our  horses  fond  of  the  canes,  though  they 
scoured  them  smartly  at  first,  and  discoloured  their  dung.  This  beautiful  ve- 
getable grows  commonly  from  twelve  to  sixteen  feet  high,  and  some  of  them 
as  thick  as  a  man's  wrist.  Though  these  appeared  large  to  us,  yet  they  are 
no  more  than  spires  of  grass,  if  compared  to  those  which  some  curious  tra- 
vellers tell  us  grow  in  the  East  Indies,  one  joint  of  which  will  make  a  brace 
of  canoes,  if  sawed  in  two  in  the  middle.  Ours  continue  green  through  all 
the  seasons  during  the  space  of  six  years,  and  the  seventh  shed  their  seed, 
wither  away  and  die.  The  spring  following  they  begin  to  shoot  again,  and 
reach  their  former  stature  the  second  or  third  year  after.  They  grow  so  thick, 
and  their  roots  lace  together  so  firmly,  that  they  are  the  best  guard  that  can 
be  of  the  river  bank,  which  would  otherwise  be  washed  away  by  the  frequent 
inundations  that  happen  in  this  part  of  the  world.  They  would  also  serve 
excellently  well  to  plant  on  the  borders  of  fish-ponds  and  canals,  to  secure 
their  sides  from  falling  in;  though  I  fear  they  would  not  grow  kindly  in 
a  cold  country,  being  seldom  seen  here  so  northerly  as  thirty-eight  degrees  of 
latitude. 

11th.  At  the  distance  of  four  miles  and  sixty  poles  from  the  place  where  we 
encamped,  we  came  upon  the  river  Dan  a  second  time ;  though  it  was  not  so 
wide  in  this  place  as  where  we  crossed  it  first,  being  not  above  a  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  over.  The  west  shore  continued  to  be  covered  with  the  canes 
above  mentioned,  but  not  to  so  great  a  breadth  as  before,  and  it  is  remarkable 
that  these  canes  are  much  more  frequent  on  the  west  side  of  the  river  than  on 
the  east,  where  they  grow  generally  very  scattering.  It  was  still  a  beautiful 
stream,  rolling  down  its  limpid  and  murmuring  waters  among  the  rocks, 
which  lay  scattered  here  and  there,  to  make  up  the  variety  of  the  prospect. 
It  was  about  two  miles  from  this  river  to  the  end  of  our  day's  work,  which 
led  us  mostly  over  broken  grounds  and  troublesome  underwoods.  Hereabout, 
from  one  of  the  highest  hills,  we  made  the  first  discovery  of  the  mountains,  on 
the  north-west  of  our  course.  They  seemed  to  lie  off  at  a  vast  distance,  and 
looked  like  ranges  of  blue  clouds  rising  one  above  another.  We  encamped 
about  two  miles  beyond  the  river,  where  we  made  good  cheer  upon  a  very 
fat  buck,  that  luckily  fell  in  our  way.  The  Indian  likewise  shot  a  wild 
turkey,  but  confessed  he  would  not  bring  it  us,  lest  we  should  continue  to 
provoke  the  guardian  of  the  forest,  by  cooking  the  beasts  of  the  field  and  the 
birds  of  the  air  together  in  one  vessel.  This  instance  of  Indian  superstition,  is 
I  confess,  is  countenanced  in  some  measure  by  the  Levitical  law,  which  for- 
bade the  mixing  things  of  a  different  nature  together  in  the  same  field,  or  in 
the  same  garment,  and  why  not  then  in  the  same  kettle  1   But,  after  all,  if  the 


<L- 


50  THE  HISTORY  OF 

jumbling  of  two  sorts  of  flesh  together  be  a  sin,  how  intolerable  an  offence 
must  it  be  to  make  a  Spanish  olla,  that  is,  a  hotchpotch  of  every  kind  of  thing 
that  is  eatable '!  And  the  good  people  of  England  would  have  a  great  deal  to 
answer  for,  for  beating  up  so  many  different  ingredients  into  a  pudding. 

12th.  We  were  so  cruelly  entangled  with  bushes  and  grape-vines  all  day, 
that  we  could  advance  the  line  no  farther  than  five  miles  and  twenty-eight 
poles.  The  vines  grow  very  thick  in  these  woods,  twining  lovingly  round 
the  trees  almost  every  where,  especially  to  the  saplings.  This  makes  it  evi- 
dent how  natural  both  the  soil  and  climate  of  this  country  are  to  vines, 
though  I  believe  most  to  our  own  vines.  The  grapes  we  commonly  met  with 
were  black,  though  there  be  two  or  three  kinds  of  white  grapes  that  grow 
wild.  The  black  are  very  sweet,  but  small,  because  the  strength  of  the  vine 
spends  itself  in  wood ;  though  without  question  a  proper  culture  would  make 
the  same  grapes  both  larger  and  sweeter.  But,  with  all  these  disadvantages, 
I  have  drunk  tolerable  good  wine  pressed  from  them,  though  made  without 
skill.  There  is  then  good  reason  to  believe  it  might  admit  of  great  improve- 
ment, if  rightly  managed.  Our  Indian  killed  a  bear,  two  years  old,  that  was 
feasting  on  these  grapes.  He  was  very  fat,  as  they  generally  are  in  that  sea- 
son of  the  year.  In  the  fall,  the  flesh  of  this  animal  has  a  high  relish,  differ- 
ent from  that  of  other  creatures,  though  inclining  nearest  to  that  of  pork,  or 
rather  of  wild  boar.  A  true  woodsman  prefers  this  sort  of  meat  to  that  of 
the  fattest  venison,  not  only  for  the  haut  gout,  but  also  because  the  fat  of  it  is 
well  tasted,  and  never  rises  in  the  stomach.  Another  proof  of  the  goodness 
of  this  meat  is,  that  it  is  less  apt  to  corrupt  than  any  other  with  which  we  are 
acquainted.  As  agreeable  as  such  rich  diet  was  to  the  men,  yet  we  who 
were  not  accustomed  to  it,  tasted  it  at  first  with  some  sort  of  squeamishness, 
that  animal  being  of  the  dog  kind ;  though  a  little  use  soon  reconciled  us  to 
this  American  venison.  And  that  its  being  of  the  dog  kind  might  give  us  the 
less  disgust,  we  had  the  example  of  that  ancient  and  polite  people,  the  Chi- 
nese, who  reckon  dog's  flesh  too  good  for  any  under  the  quality  of  a  manda- 
rin. This  beast  is  in  truth  a  very  clean  feeder,  living,  while  the  season  lasts, 
upon  acorns,  chestnuts  and  chinquapins,  wild  honey  and  wild  grapes.  They 
are  naturally  not  carnivorous,  unless  hunger  constrain  them  to  it,  after  the 
mast  is  all  gone,  and  the  product  of  the  woods  quite  exhausted.  They  are 
not  provident  enough  to  lay  up  any  hoard,  like  the  squirrels,  nor  can  they, 
after  all,  live  very  long  upon  licking  their  paws,  as  sir  John  Mandevil  and 
some  other  travellers  tell  us,  but  are  forced  in  the  winter  months  to  quit  the 
mountains,  and  visit  the  inhabitants.  Their  errand  is  then  to  surprise  a  poor 
hog  at  a  pinch  to  keep  them  from  starving.  And  to  show  that  they  are  not 
flesh-eaters  by  trade,  they  devour  their  prey  very  awkwardly.  They  do  not 
kill  it  right  out,  and  feast  upon  its  blood  and  entrails,  like  other  ravenous 
beasts,  but  having,  after  a  fair  pursuit,  seized  it  with  their  paws,  they  begin 
first  upon  the  rump,  and  so  devour  one  collop  after  another,  till  they  come  to 
the  vita's,  the  poor  animal  crying  all  the  while,  for  several  minutes  together. 
However,  in  so  doing,  Bruin  acts  a  little  imprudently,  because  the  dismal  out- 
cry of  the  hog  alarms  the  neighbourhood,  and  it  is  odds  but  he  pays  the  for- 
feit with  his  life,  before  he  can  secure  his  retreat.  But  bears  soon  grow  weary 
of  this  unnatural  diet,  and  about  January,  when  there  is  nothing  to  be  gotten 
in  the  woods,  they  retire  into  some  cave  or  hollow  tree,  where  they  sleep 
away  two  or  three  months  very  comfortably.  But  then  they  quit  their  holes 
in  March,  when  the  fish  begin  to  run  up  the  rivers,  on  which  they  are  forced 
to  keep  Lent,  till  some  fruit  or  berry  comes  in  season.  But  bears  are  fondest 
of  chestnuts,  which  grow  plentifully  towards  the  mountains,  upon  very  large 
trees,  where  the  soil  happens  to  be  rich.  We  were  curious  to  know  how  it 
happened  that  many  of  the  outward  branches  of  those  trees  came  to  be  broken 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE  5] 

off  in  that  solitary  place,  and  were  informed  that  the  bears  are  so  discreet  as 
not  to  trust  their  unwieldy  bodies  on  the  smaller  limbs  of  the  tree,  that  would 
not  bear  their  weight ;  but  after  venturing  as  far  as  is  .safe,  which  they  can 
judge  to  an  inch,  they  bite  off  the  end  of  the  branch,  which  falling  down, 
they  are  content  to  finish  their  repast  upon  the  ground.  In  the  same  cautious 
manner  they. secure  the  acorns  that  grow  on  the  weaker  limbs  of  the  oak. 
And  it  must  be  allowed  that,  in  these  instances,  a  bear  carries  instinct  a  great 
way,  and  acts  more  reasonably  than  many  of  his  betters,  who  indiscreetly 
venture  upon  frail  projects  that  will  not  bear  them. 

13th.  This  being  Sunday,  we  rested  from  our  fatigue,  and  had  leisure  to  re- 
flect on  the  signal  mercies  of  Providence. 

The  great  plenty  of  meat  wherewith  Bearskin  furnished  us  in  these  lonely 
woods  made  us  once  more  shorten  the  men's  allowance  of  bread,  from  five  to 
four  pounds  of  biscuit  a  week.  This  was  the  more  necessary,  because  we 
knew  not  yet  how  long  our  business  might,  require  us  to  be  out. 

In  the  afternoon  our  hunters  went  forth,  and  returned  triumphantly  with 
three  brace  of  wild  turkeys.  They  told  us  they  could  see  the  mountains  dis- 
tinctly from  every  eminence,  though  the  atmosphere  was  so  thick  with  smoke 
that  they  appeared  at  a  greater  distance  than  they  really  were. 

In  the  evening  we  examined  our  friend  Bearskin,  concerning  the  religion  of 
his  country,  and  he  explained  it  to  us,  without  any  of  that  reserve  to  which 
his  nation  is  subject.  He  told  us  he  believed  there  was  one  supreme  God, 
who  had  several  subaltern  deities  under  him.  And  that  this  master  God  made 
the  world  a  long  time  ago.  That  he  told  the  sun,  the  moon,  and  stars,  their 
business  in  the  beginning,  which  they,  with  good  looking  after,  have  faithfully 
performed  ever  since.  That  the  same  Power  that  made  all  things  at  first  has 
taken  care  to  keep  them  in  the  same  method  and  motion  ever  since.  He  be- 
lieved that  God  had  formed  many  worlds  before  he  formed  this,  but  that  those 
worlds  either  grew  old  and  ruinous,  or  were  destroyed  for  the  dishonesty  of 
the  inhabitants.  That  God  is  very  just  and  very  good — ever  well  pleased  with 
those  men  who  possess  those  god-like  qualities.  That  he  takes  good  people 
into  his  safe  protection,  makes  them  very  rich,  fills  their  bellies  plentifully, 
preserves  them  from  sickness,  and  from  being  surprised  or  overcome  by  their 
enemies.  But  all  such  as  tell  lies,  and  cheat  those  they  have  dealings  with, 
he  never  fails  to  punish  with  sickness,  poverty  and  hunger,  and,  after  all  that, 
suffers  them  to  be  knocked  on  the  head  and  scalped  by  those  that  fight  against 
them.  He  believed  that  after  death  both  good  and  bad  people  are  conducted 
by  a  strong  guard  into  a  great  road,  in  which  departed  souls  travel  together 
for  some  time,  till  at  a  certain  distance  this  road  forks  into  two  paths,  the  one 
extremely  level,  and  the  other  stony  and  mountainous.  Here  the  good  are 
parted  from  the  bad  by  a  flash  of  lightning,  the  first  being  hurried  away  to 
the  right,  the  other  to  the  left.  The  right  hand  road  leads  to  a  charming 
warm  country,  where  the  spring  is  everlasting,  and  every  month  is  May  ;  and 
as  the  year  is  always  in  its  youth,  so  are  the  people,  and  particularly  the  wo- 
men are  bright  as  stars,  and  never  scold.  That  in  this  happy  climate  there 
are  deer,  turkeys,  elks,  and  buffaloes  innumerable,  perpetually  fat  and  gentle, 
while  the  trees  are  loaded  with  delicious  fruit  quite  throughout  the  four  sea- 
sons. That  the  soil  brings  forth  corn  spontaneously,  without  the  curse  of  la- 
bour, and  so  very  wholesome,  that  none  who  have  the  happiness  to  eat  of  it 
are  ever  sick,  grow  old,  or  die.  Near  the  entrance  into  this  blessed  land  sits 
a  venerable  old  man  on  a  mat  richly  woven,  who  examines  strictly  all  that 
are  brought  before  him,  and  if  they  have  behaved  well,  the  guards  are  order- 
ed to  open  the  crystal  gate,  and  let  them  enter  into  the  land  of  delight.  The 
left  hand  path  is  very  rugged  and  uneven,  leading  to  a  dark  and  barren  coun- 
try, where  it  is  always  winter.    The  ground  is  the  whole  year  round  covered 


52  THE  HISTORY  OF 

with  snow,  and  nothing  is  to  be  seen  upon  the  trees  but  icicles.  All  the  peo- 
ple are  hungry,  yet  have  not  a  morsel  of  any  thing  to  eat,  except  a  bitter  kind 
of  potato,  that  gives  them  the  dry  gripes,  and  fills  their  whole  body  with 
loathsome  ulcers,  that  stink,  and  are  insupportably  painful.  Here  all  the  wo- 
men are  old  and  ugly,  having  claws  like  a  panther,  with  which  they  fly  upon 
the  men  that  slight  their  passion.  For  it  seems  these  haggard  old  furies  are 
intolerably  fond,  and  expect  a  vast  deal  of  cherishing.  They  talk  much,  and 
exceedingly  shrill,  giving  exquisite  pain  to  the  drum  of  the  ear,  which  in  that 
place  of  torment  is  so  tender,  that  every  sharp  note  wounds  it  to  the  quick. 
At  the  end  of  this  path  sits  a  dreadful  eld  woman  on  a  monstrous  toad-stool, 
whose  head  is  covered  with  rattle-snakes  instead  of  tresses,  with  glaring 
white  eyes,  that  strike  a  terror  unspeakable  into  all  that  behold  her.  This 
hag  pronounces  sentence  of  woe  upon  all  the  miserable  wretches  that  hold 
up  their  hands  at  her  tribunal.  After  this  they  are  delivered  over  to  huge 
turkey-buzzards,  like  harpies,  that  fly  away  with  them  to  the  place  above 
mentioned.  Here,  after  they  have  been  tormented  a  certain  number  of  years, 
according  to  their  several  degrees  of  guilt,  they  are  again  driven  back  into 
this  world,  to  try  if  they  will  mend  their  manners,  and  merit  a  place  the  next 
time  in  the  regions  of  bliss.  This  was  the  substance  of  Bearskin's  religion, 
and  was  as  much  to  the  purpose  as  could  be  expected  from  a  mere  state  of 
nature,  without  one  glimpse  of  revelation  or  philosophy.  It  contained,  however, 
the  three  great  articles  of  natural  religion  :  the  belief  of  a  God ;  the  moral 
distinction  betwixt  good  and  evil ;  and  the  expectation  of  rewards  and 
punishments  in  another  world.  Indeed,  the  Indian  notion  of  a  future  happi- 
ness is  a  little  gross  and  sensual,  like  Mahomet's  paradise.  But  how  can  it 
be  otherwise,  in  a  people  that  are  contented  with  Nature  as  they  find  her,  and 
have  no  other  lights  but  what  they  receive  from  purblind  tradition  ? 

14th.  There  having  been  great  signs  of  rain  yesterday  evening,  we  had 
taken  our  precautions  in  securing  the  bread,  and  trenching  in  our  tent.  The 
men  had  also  stretched  their  blankets  upon  poles,  pent-house  fashion,  against 
the  weather,  so  that  nobody  was  taken  unprepared.  It  began  to  fall  heavily 
about  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  held  not  up  till  near  noon.  Every 
thing  was  so  thoroughly  soaked,  that  we  laid  aside  all  thoughts  of  decamping 
that  day.  This  gave  leisure  to  the  most  expert  of  our  gunners  to  go  and  try 
their  fortunes,  and  they  succeeded  so  well,  that  they  returned  about  noon 
with  three  fat  deer,  and  four  wild  turkeys.  Thus  Providence  took  care  of  us, 
and  however  short  the  men  might  be  in  their  bread,  it  is  certain  they  had 
meat  at  full  allowance.  The  cookery  went  on  merrily  all  night  long,  to  keep 
the  damps  from  entering  our  pores ;  and  in  truth  the  impressions  of  the  air 
.  are  much  more  powerful  upon  empty  stomachs.  In  such  a  glut  of  provisions, 
a  true  woodsman,  when  he  has  nothing  else  to  do,  like  our  honest  country- 
men the  Indians,  keeps  eating  on,  to  avoid  the  imputation  of  idleness  ;  though, 
in  a  scarcity,  the  Indian  will  fast  with  a  much  better  grace  than  they.  They 
can  subsist  several  days  upon  a  little  rockahominy,  which  is  parched  Indian 
corn  reduced  to  powder.  This  they  moisten  in  the  hollow  of  their  hands 
with  a  little  water,  and  it  is  hardly  credible  how  small  a  quantity  of  it  will 
support  them.  It  is  true  they  grow  a  little  lank  upon  it,  but  to  make  them- 
selves feel  full,  they  gird  up  their  loins  very  tight  with  a  belt,  taking  up  a  hole 
every  day.  With  this  slender  subsistence  they  are  able  to  travel  very  long 
journeys;  but  then,  to  make  themselves  amends,  when  they  do  meet  with 
better  cheer,  they  eat  without  ceasing,  till  they  have  ravened  themselves  into 
another  famine. 

This  was  the  first  time  we  had  ever  been  detained  a  whole  day  in  our 
camp  by  the  rain,  and  therefore  had  reason  to  bear  it  with  the  more  patience. 
******** 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  53 

The  few  good  husbands  amongst  us  took  some  thought  of  their  backs  as 
well  as  their  bellies,  and  made  use  of  this  opportunity  to  put  their  habiliments 
in  repair,  which  had  suffered  wofully  by  the  bushes.  The  horses  got  some 
rest,  by  reason  of  the  bad  weather,  but  very  little  food,  the  chief  of  their 
forage  being  a  little  wild  rosemary,  which  resembles  the  garden  rosemary 
pretty  much  in  figure,  but  not  at  all  in  taste  or  smell.  This  plant  grows  in 
small  tufts  here  and  there  on  the  barren  land  in  these  upper  parts,  and  the 
horses  liked  it  well,  but  the  misfortune  was,  they  could  not  get  enough  of  it 
to  fill  their  bellies. 

15th.  After  the  clouds  broke  away  in  the  morning,  the  people  dried  their 
blankets  with  all  diligence.  Nevertheless,  it  was  noon  before  we  were  in  con- 
dition to  move  forward,  and  then  were  so  puzzled  with  passing  the  river 
twice  in  a  small  distance,  that  we  could  advance  the  line  in  all  no  further  than 
one  single  mile  and  three  hundred  poles.  The  first  time  we  passed  the  Dan 
this  day  was  two  hundred  and  forty  poles  from  the  place  where  we  lay,  and 
the  second  time  was  one  mile  and  seven  poles  beyond  that.  This  was  now 
the  fourth  time  we  forded  that  fine  river,  which  still  tended  westerly,  with 
many  short  and  returning  reaches. 
•  The  surveyors  had  much  difficulty  in  getting  over  the  river,  finding  it 
deeper  than  formerly.  The  breadth  of  it  here  did  not  exceed  fifty  yards. 
The  banks  were  about  twenty  feet  high  from  the  water,  and  beautifully  beset  xT 
with  canes.  Our  baggage  horses  crossed  not  the  river  here  at  all,  but,  fetch- 
ing a  compass,  went  round  the  bend  of  it.  On  our  way  we  forded  Sable 
creek,  so  called  from  the  dark  colour  of  the  water,  which  happened,  I  sup- 
pose, by  its  being  shaded  on  both  sides  with  canes. 

In  the  evening  we  quartered  in  a  charming  situation  near  the  angle  of  the 
river,  from  whence  our  eyes  were  carried  down  both  reaches,  which  kept  a 
straight  course  for  a  great  way  together.     This  prospect  was  so  beautiful,      <k 
that  we  were  perpetually  climbing  up  to  a  neighbouring  eminence,  that  we 
might  enjoy  it  in  more  perfection. 

Now  the  weather  grew  cool,  the  wild  geese  began  to  direct  their  flight  this 
way  from  Hudson's  bay,  and  the  lakes  that  lay  north-west  of  us.  They  are 
very  lean  at  their  first  coming,  but  fatten  soon  upon  a  sort  of  grass  that 
grows  on  the  shores  and  rocks  of  this  river.  The  Indians  call  this  fowl 
cohunks,  from  the  hoarse  note  it  has,  and  begin  the  year  from  the  coming  of 
"'j'the  cohunks,  which  happens  in  the  beginning  of  October.  These  wild  geese 
are  guarded  from  cold  by  a  down,  that  is  exquisitely  soft  and  fine,  which 
makes  them  much  more  valuable  for  their  feathers  than  for  their  flesh,  which 
is  dark  and  coarse. 

The  men  chased  a  bear  into  the  river  that  got  safe  over,  notwithstanding 
the  continual  fire  from  the  shore  upon  him.  He  seemed  to  swim  but  heavily, 
considering  it  was  for  his  life.  Where  the  water  is  shallow,  it  is  no  uncom- 
mon thing  to  see  a  bear  sitting,  in  the  summer  time,  on  a  heap  of  gravel  in 
the  middle  of  the  river,  not  only  to  cool  himself,  but  likewise  for  the  advan- 
tage of  fishing,  particularly  for  a  small  shell-fish,  that  is  brought  down  with  the 
stream.  In  the  upper  part  of  James  river  I  have  observed  this  several  times, 
and  wondered  very  much,  at  first,  how  so  many  heaps  of  small  stones  came  to 
be  piled  up  in  the  water,  till  at  last  we  spied  a  bear  sitting  upon  one  of  them, 
looking  with  great  attention  on  the  stream,  and  raking  up  something  with  his 
paw,  which  I  take  to  be  the  shell-fish  above  mentioned. 

16th.  It  was  ten  o'clock  this  morning  before  the  horses  could  be  found, 
having  hidden  themselves  among  the  canes,  whereof  there  was  great  plenty 
just  at  hand,  Not  far  from  our  camp  we  went  over  a  brook,  whose  banks 
were  edged  on  both  sides   with  these  canes.     But  three  miles  further  we 

H 


54  THE  HISTORY  OF 

forded  a  larger  stream,  which  we  called  Lowland  creek,  by  reason  of  the 
great  breadth  of  low  grounds  inclosed  between  that  and  the  river. 

The  high  land  we  travelled  over  was  very  good,  and  the  low  grounds  pro- 
mised the  greatest  fertility  of  any  I  had  ever  seen.  At  the  end  of  four  miles 
and  three  hundred  and  eleven  poles  from  where  we  lay,  the  line  intersected 
the  Dan  the  fifth  time.  We  had  day  enough  to  carry  it  farther,  but  the  sur- 
veyors could  find  no  safe  ford  over  the  river.  This  obliged  us  to  ride  two 
miles  up  the  river  in  quest  of  a  ford,  and  by  the  way  we  traversed  several 
small  Indian  fields,  where  we  conjectured  the  Sawroes  had  been  used  to  plant 
corn,  the  town  where  they  had  lived  lying  seven  or  eight  miles  more  south- 
erly, upon  the  eastern  side  of  the  river.  These  Indian  fields  produced  a 
sweet  kind  of  grass,  almost  knee-high,  which  was  excellent  forage  for  the 
horses.  It  must  be  observed,  by  the  way,  that  Indian  towns,  like  religious 
houses,  are  remarkable  for  a  fruitful  situation ;  for  being  by  nature  not  very 
industrious,  they  choose  such  a  situation  as  will  subsist  them  with  the  least 
labour.  The  trees  grew  surprisingly  large  in  this  low  ground,  and  amongst 
the  rest  we  observed  a  tall  kind  of  hickory,  peculiar  to  the  upper  parts  of  the 
country.  It  is  covered  with  a  very  rough  bark,  and  produces  a  nut  with  a 
thick  shell  that  is  easily  broken.  The  kernel  is  not  so  rank  as  that  of  the 
common  hickory,  but  altogether  as  oily.  And  now  I  am  upon  the  subject  of 
these  nuts,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  remark,  that  a  very  great  benefit  might 
be  made  of  nut-oil  in  this  colony.  The  walnuts,  the  hickory-nuts,  and  pig- 
nuts, contain  a  vast  deal  of  oil,  that  might  be  pressed  out  in  great  abundance 
with  proper  machines.  The  trees  grow  very  kindly,  and  may  be  easily 
propagated.  They  bear  plenty  of  nuts  every  year,  that  are  now  of  no  other 
use  in  the  world  but  to  feed  hogs.  It  is  certain  there  is  a  large  consumption 
of  this  oil  in  several  of  our  manufactures,  and  in  some  parts  of  France,  as 
well  as  in  other  countries,  it  is  eaten  instead  of  oil-olive,  being  tolerably  sweet 
and  wholesome.  The  Indian  killed  a  fat  buck,  and  the  men  brought  in  four 
bears  and  a  brace  of  wild  turkeys,  so  that  this  was  truly  a  land  of  plenty, 
both  for  man  and  beast. 

17th.  We  detached  a  party  of  men  this  morning  early  in  search  of  a 
ford,  who  after  all  could  find  none  that  was  safe ;  though,  dangerous  as  it  was, 
we  determined  to  make  use  of  it,  to  avoid  all  further  delay.  Accordingly 
we  rode  over  a  narrow  ledge  of  rocks,  some  of  which  lay  below  the  surface 
of  the  water,  and  some  above  it.  Those  that  lay  under  the  water  were  as 
slippery  as  ice ;  and  the  current  glided  over  them  so  swifty,  that  though  it 
was  only  water,  it  made  us  perfectly  drunk.  Yet  we  were  all  so  fortunate 
as  to  get  safe  over  to  the  west  shore,  with  no  other  damage  than  the  sopping 
some  of  our  bread  by  the  flouncing  of  the  horses.  The  tedious  time  spent 
in  finding  out  this  ford,  and  in  getting  all  the  horses  over  it,  prevented  our 
carrying  the  line  more  than  two  miles  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  poles. 
This  was  the  last  time  we  crossed  the  Dan  with  our  line,  which  now  began 
to  run  away  more  southerly,  with  a  very  flush  and  plentiful  stream,  the  de- 
scription whereof  must  be  left  to  future  discoveries,  though  we  are  well 
assured  by  the  Indians  that  it  runs  through  the  mountains.  We  conducted 
the  baggage  a  roundabout  way  for  the  benefit  of  evener  grounds,  and  this 
carried  us  over  a  broad  level  of  exceeding  rich  land,  full  of  large  trees,  with 
vines  married  to  them,  if  I  may  be  allowed  to  speak  so  poetically.  We 
untreed  a  young  cub  in  our  march,  that  made  a  brave  stand  against  one  of 
the  best  of  our  dogs.  This  and  a  fawn  were  all  the  game  that  came  in  our 
way.  In  this  day's  journey,  as  in  many  others  before,  we  saw  beautiful 
marble  of  several  colours,  and  particularly  that  of  the  purple  kind  with  white 
streaks,  and  in  some  places  we  came  across  large  pieces  of  pure  alabaster. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  55 

We  marked  out  our  quarters  on  the  banks  of  a  purling  stream,  which  we 
called  Cascade  creek,  by  reason  of  the  multitude  of  water-falls  that  are  in  it. 
But,  different  from  all  other  falls  that  ever  I  met  with,  the  rocks  over  which 
the  water  rolled  were  soft,  and  would  split  easily  into  broad  flakes,  very  pro- 
per for  pavement ;  and  some  fragments  of  it  seemed  soft  enough  for  hones, 
and  the  grain  fine  enough.  Near  our  camp  we  found  a  prickly  shrub,  rising 
about  a  foot  from  the  ground,  something  like  that  which  bears  the  barberry, 
though  much  smaller.  The  leaves  had  a  fresh,  agreeable  smell,  and  I  am 
persuaded  the  ladies  would  be  apt  to  fancy  a  tea  made  of  them,  provided  they 
were  told  how  far  it  came,  and  at  the  same  time  were  obliged  to  buy  it  very 
dear.  About  a  mile  to  the  south-west  of  our  camp  rose  a  regular  mount,  that 
commanded  a  full  prospect  of  the  mountains,  and  an  extensive  view  of  the 
flat  country.  But  being,  with  respect  to  the  high  mountains,  no  more  than  a 
pimple,  we  called  it  by  that  name.  Presently  after  sunset  we  discovered  a 
great  light  towards  the  west,  too  bright  for  a  fire,  and  more  resembling  the 
aurora  borealis.  This,  all  our  woodsmen  told  us,  was  a  common  appear- 
ance in  the  high  lands,  and  generally  foreboded  bad  weather.  Their  explana- 
tion happened  to  be  exactly  true,  for  in  the  night  we  had  a  violent  gale  of  wind, 
accompanied  with  smart  hail,  that  rattled  frightfully  amongst  the  trees,  though 
St  was  not  large  enough  to  do  us  any  hann. 

We  crossed  Cascade  creek  over  a  ledge  of  smooth  rocks,  and  then  scuffled 
through  a  mighty  thicket,  at  least  three  miles  long.  The  whole  was  one 
continued  tract  of  rich  high  land,  the  woods  whereof  had  been  burnt  not  long 
before.  It  was  then  overgrown  with  saplings  of  oak,  hickory  and  locust, 
interlaced  with  grape  vines.  In  this  fine  land,  however,  we  met  with  no  water, 
till  at  the  end  of  three  miles  we  luckily  came  upon  a  crystal  stream,  which, 
like  some  lovers  of  conversation,  discovered  every  thing  committed  to  its  faith- 
less bosom.  Then  we  came  upon  a  piece  of  rich  low  ground,  covered  with  large 
trees,  of  the  extent  of  half  a  mile,  which  made  us  fancy  ourselves  not  far 
from  the  river ;  though  after  that  we  ascended  gently  to  higher  land,  with  no 
other  trees  growing  upon  it  except  butter- wood,  which  is  one  species  of  white 
maple.  This  being  a  dead  level,  without  the  least  declivity  to  carry  off  the 
water,  was  moist  in  many  places,  and  produced  abundance  of  grass.  All 
our  woodsmen  call  these  flat  grounds  high  land  ponds,  and  in  their  trading 
journeys  are  glad  to  halt  at  such  places  for  several  days  together,  to  recruit 
their  jaded  horses,  especially  in  the  winter  months,  when  there  is  little  or  no 
grass  to  be  found  in  other  places.  This  high  land  pond  extended  above  two 
miles,  our  palfries  snatching  greedily  at  the  tufts  of  grass,  as  they  went  along. 
After  we  got  over  this  level,  we  descended  some  stony  hills  for  about  half  a 
mile,  and  then  came  upon  a  large  branch  of  the  river,  which  we  christened 
the  Irvin,  in  honour  of  our  learned  professor.  This  river  we  forded  with  much 
difficulty  and  some  danger,  by  reason  of  the  hollow  spaces  betwixt  the 
rocks,  into  which  our  horses  plunged  almost  every  step.  The  Irvin  runs  into 
the  Dan  about  four  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  line,  and  seemed  to  roll 
down  its  waters  from  the  N.  N.  W.  in  a  very  full  and  limpid  stream,  and  the 
murmur  it  made,  in  tumbling  over  the  rocks,  caused  the  situation  to  appear  very 
romantic,  and  had  almost  made  some  of  the  company  poetical,  though  they  drank 
nothing  but  water.  We  encamped  on  a  pleasant  hill,  overlooking  the  river, 
which  seemed  to  be  deep  every  where  except  just  where  we  forded.  In  the 
mean  time,  neither  that  chain  of  rocks,  nor  any  other  that  we  could  observe 
in  this  stream,  was  so  uninterrupted,  but  that  there  were  several  breaks  where 
a  canoe,  or  even  a  moderate  flat-bottomed  boat,  might  shear  clear.  Nor 
have  we  reason  to  believe  there  are  any  other  falls  (except  the  great  ones, 
thirty  miles  below  Moniseep  ford)  that  reach  quite  across,  so  as  to  interrupt 
the  navigation  for  small  eraft.     And  I  have  been  informed  that,  even  at  those 


56  •      THE  HISTORY  Ob- 

great  falls,  the  blowing  up  a  few  rocks  would  open  a  passage  at  least  for 
canoes,  which  certainly  would  be  an  unspeakable  convenience  to  the  inhabit- 
ants of  all  that  beautiful  part  of  the  country.  The  Indian  killed  a  very  fat 
doe,  and  came  across  a  bear,  which  had  been  put  to  death  and  was  half  devour- 
ed by  a  panther.  The  last  of  these  brutes  reigns  absolute  monarch  of  the 
woods,  and  in  the  keenness  of  his  hunger  will  venture  to  attack  a  bear ; 
though  then  it  is  ever  by  surprise,  as  all  beasts  of  the  cat  kind  use  to  come 
upon  their  prey.  Their  play  is  to  take  the  poor  bears  napping,  they  being  very 
drowsy  animals,  and  though  they  be  exceedingly  strong,  yet  their  strength  is 
heavy,  while  the  panthers  are  too  nimble  and  cunning  to  trust  themselves 
within  their  hug.  As  formidable  as  this  beast  is  to  his  fellow  brutes,  he  never 
has  the  confidence  to  venture  upon  a  man,  but  retires  from  him  with  great 
respect,  if  there  be  a  way  open  for  his  escape.  However,  it  must  be  confest, 
his  voice  is  a  little  contemptible  for  a  monarch  of  the  forest,  being  not  a  great 
deal  louder  nor  more  awful  than  the  mewing  of  a  household  cat.* 

In  South  Carolina  they  call  this  beast  a  tiger,  though  improperly,  and  so 
they  do  in  some  parts  of  the  Spanish  West  Indies.  Some  of  their  authors,  a 
little  more  properly,  compliment  it  with  the  name  of  a  leopard.  But  none  of 
these  are  the  growth  of  America,  that  we  know  of. 

The  whole  distance  the  surveyors  advanced  the  line  this  day  amounted 
to  six  miles  and  thirty  poles,  which  was  no  small  journey,  considering  the 
grounds  we  had  traversed  were  exceedingly  rough  and  uneven,  and  in  many 
places  intolerably  entangled  with  bushes.  All  the  hills  we  ascended  were 
encumbered  with  stones,  many  of  which  seemed  to  contain  a  metallic  sub- 
stance, and  the  valleys  we  crossed  were  interrupted  with  miry  branches. 
From  the  top  of  every  hill  we  could  discern  distinctly,  at  a  great  distance 
to  the  northward,  three  or  four  ledges  of  mountains,  rising  one  above 
another;  and  on  the  highest  of  all  rose  a  single  mountain,  very  much  resem- 
bling a  woman's  breast. 

19th.  About  four  miles  beyond  the  river  Irvin,  we  forded  Matrimony  creek, 
called  so  by  an  unfortunate  married  man,  because  it  was  exceedingly  noisy 
and  impetuous.  However,  though  the  stream  was  clamorous,  yet,  like  those 
women  who  make  themselves  plainest  heard,  it  was  likewise  perfectly  clear 
and  unsullied.  Still  half  a  mile  further  we  saw  a  small  mountain,  about 
five  miles  to  the  north-west  of  us,  which  we  called  the  Wart,  because  it  ap- 
peared no  bigger  than  a  wart,  in  comparison  of  the  great  mountains  which 
hid  their  haughty  heads  in  the  clouds.  We  were  not  able  to  extend  the  line 
farther  than  five  miles  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  five  poles,  notwithstanding 
we  began  our  march  early  in  the  morning,  and  did  not  encamp  till  it  was  almost 
dark.  We  made  it  the  later  by  endeavouring  to  quarter  in  some  convenient 
situation,  either  for  grass  or  canes.  But  night  surprising  us,  we  were  obliged 
to  lodge  at  last  upon  high  and  uneven  ground,  which  was  so  overgrown 
with  shrubs  and  saplings,  that  we  could  hardly  see  ten  yards  around  us.  The 
most  melancholy  part  of  the  story  was,  that  our  horses  had  short  commons. 
The  poor  creatures  were  now  grown  so  weak  that  they  staggered  when  we 
mounted  them.  Nor  would  our  own  fare  have  been  at  all  more  plentiful, 
had  we  not  been  so  provident  as  to  carry  a  load  of  meat  along  with  us. 
Indeed,  the  woods  were  too  thick  to  show  us  any  sort  of  game  but  one  wild 
turkey,  which  helped  to  enrich  our  soup.     To  make  us  amends,  we  found 

*  Some  authors,  who  have  given  an  account  of  the  southern  continent  of  America, 
would  make  the  world  believe  there  are  lions  ,  but  in  all  likelihood  they  were  mistaken, 
imagining  these  panthers  to  be  lions.  What  makes  this  probable  is,  that  the  northern 
and  southern  parts  of  America  being  joined  by  the  Isthmus  of  Darien,  if  there  were 
lions  in  either  they  would  find  their  way  into  the  other,  the  latitudes  of  each  being 
equally  proper  for  that  generous  animal. 


/: 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  57 

abundance  of  very  sweet  grapes,  which,  with  the  help  of  bread,  might  have 
furnished  out  a  good  Italian  repast,  in  the  absence  of  more  savoury  food. 
The  men's  mouths  watered  at  the  sight  of  a  prodigious  flight  of  wild  pigeons, 
which  flew  high  over  our  heads  to  the  southward.  The  flocks  of  these  birds 
of  passage  are  so  amazingly  great,  sometimes,  that  they  darken  the  sky ; 
nor  is  it  uncommon  for  them  to  light  in  such  numbers  in  the  larger  limbs  of 
mulberry  trees  and  oaks  as  to  break  them  down.  In  their  travels  they  make 
vast  havoc  amongst  the  acorns  and  berries  of  all  sorts,  that  they  waste  whole 
forests  in  a  short  time,  and  leave  a  famine  behind  them  for  most  other  crea- 
tures ;  and  under  some  trees  where  they  light,  it  is  no  strange  thing  to  find  the 
ground  covered  three  inches  thick  with  their  dung.  These  wild  pigeons 
commonly  breed  in  the  uninhabited  parts  of  Canada,  and  as  the  cold  ap- 
proaches assemble  their  armies  and  bend  their  course  southerly,  shifting  their 
quarters,  like  many  of  the  winged  kind,  according  to  the  season.  But  the 
most  remarkable  thing  in  their  flight,  as  we  are  told,  is  that  they  never  have 
been  observed  to  return  to  the  northern  countries  the  same  way  they  came 
from  thence,  but  take  quite  another  route,  I  suppose  for  their  better  subsist- 
ence. In  these  long  flights  they  are  very  lean,  and  their  flesh  is  far  from  being 
white  or  tender,  though  good  enough  upon  a  march,  when  hunger  is  the 
sauce,  and  makes  it  go  down  better  than  truffles  and  morels  would  do, 

20th.  It  was  now  Sunday,  which  we  had  like  to  have  spent  in  fasting  as 
well  as  prayer ;  for  our  men,  taking  no  care  for  the  morrow,  like  good  Chris- 
tians, but  bad  travellers,  had  improvidently  devoured  all  their  meat  for  sup- 
per. They  were  ordered  in  the  morning  to  drive  up  their  horses,  lest  they 
should  stray  too  far  from  the  camp  and  be  lost,  in  case  they  were  let  alone 
all  day.  At  their  return  they  had  the  very  great  comfort  to  behold  a 
monstrous  fat  bear,  which  the  Indian  had  killed  very  seasonably  for  their 
breakfast.  We  thought  it  still  necessary  to  make  another  reduction  of  our 
bread,  from  four  to  three  pounds  a  week  to  every  man,  computing  that  we 
had  still  enough  in  that  proportion  to  last  us  three  weeks  longer.  The  at- 
mosphere was  so  smoky  all  round  us,  that  the  mountains  were  again  grown 
invisible.  This  happened  not  from  the  haziness  of  the  sky,  but  from  the 
firing  of  the  woods  by  the  Indians,  for  we  were  now  near  the  route  the 
the  northern  savages  take  when  they  go  out  to  war  against  the  Catawbas 
and  other  southern  nations.  On  their  way  the  fires  they  make  in 
their  camps  are  left  burning,  which,  catching  the  dry  leaves  that  lie  near, 
soon  put  the  adjacent  woods  into  a  flame.  Some  of  our  men  in  search 
of  their  horses  discovered  one  of  those  Indian  camps,  where  not  long 
before  they  had  been  a  furring  and  dressing  their  skins.  And  now  I  mention 
the  northern  Indians,  it  may  not  be  improper  to  take  notice  of  their  implaca- 
ble hatred  to  those  of  the  south.  Their  wars  are  everlasting,  without  any 
peace,  enmity  being  the  only  inheritance  among  them  that  descends  from 
father  to  son,  and  either  party  will  march  a  thousand  miles  to  take  their 
revenge  upon  such  hereditary  enemies.  These  long  expeditions  are  com- 
monly carried  on  in  the  following  manner ;  some  Indian,  remarkable  for  his 
prowess,  that  has  raised  himself  to  the  reputation  of  a  war  captain,  declares 
his  intention  of  paying  a  visit  to  some  southern  nation ;  hereupon  as  many 
of  the  young  fellows  as  have  either  a  strong  thirst  of  blood  or  glory,  list 
themselves  under  his  command.  With  these  volunteers  he  goes  from  one 
confederate  town  to  another,  listing  all  the  rabble  he  can,  till  he  has  gathered 
together  a  competent  number  for  mischief.  Their  arms  are  a  gun  and  toma- 
hawk, and  all  the  provisions  they  carry  from  home  is  a  pouch  of  rocka- 
hominy.  Thus  provided  and  accoutred,  they  march  towards  their  enemy's 
country,  not  in  a  body,  or  by  a  certain  path,  but  straggling  in  small  numbers, 
for  the  greater  convenience   of  hunting  and  passing  along  undiscovered. 


5a  THE  HISTORY  OF 

So  soon  as  they  approach  the  grounds  on  which  the  enemy  is  used  to  hunt, 
they  never  kindle  any  fire  themselves,  for  fear  of  being  found  out  by  the 
smoke,  nor  will  they  shoot  at  any  kind  of  game,  though  they  should  be  half 
famished,  lest  they  might  alarm  their  foes,  and  put  them  upon  their  guard. 
Sometimes  indeed,  while  they  are  still  at  some  distance,  they  roast  either 
venison  or  bear,  till  it  is  very  dry,  and  then  having  strung  it  on  their  belts, 
wear  it  round  their  middle,  eating  very  sparingly  of  it,  because  they  know 
not  when  they  shall  meet  with  a  fresh  supply.  But  coming  nearer,  they  begin 
to  look  all  round  the  hemisphere,  to  watch  if  any  smoke  ascends,  and  listen 
continually  for  the  report  of  guns,  in  order  to  make  some  happy  discovery 
for  their  own  advantage.  It  is  amazing  to  see  their  sagacity  in  discerning 
the  track  of  a  human  foot,  even  amongst  dry  leaves,  which  to  our  shorter 
sight  is  quite  undiscoverable.  If  by  one  or  more  of  those  signs  they  be 
able  to  find  out  the  camp  of  any  southern  Indians,  they  squat  down  in  some 
thicket,  and  keep  themselves  hush  and  snug  till  it  is  dark;  then  creeping  up 
softly,  they  approach  near  enough  to  observe  all  the  motions  of  the  enemy. 
And  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  when  they  conceive  them  to  be  in  a 
profound  sleep,  for  they  never  keep  watch  and  ward,  pour  in  a  volley  upon 
them,  each  singling  out  his  man.  The  moment  they  have  discharged  their 
pieces,  they  rush  in  with  their  tomahawks,  and  make  sure  work  of  all  that 
are  disabled.  Sometimes,  when  they  find  the  enemy  asleep  round  their  little 
fire,  they  first  pelt  them  with  little  stones  to  wake  them,  and  when  they  get 
up,  fire  in  upon  them,  being  in  that  posture  a  better  mark  than  when  prostrate 
on  the  ground.  Those  that  are  killed  of  the  enemy,  or  disabled,  they  scalp, 
that  is,  they  cut  the  skin  all  round  the  head  just  below  the  hair,  and  then 
clapping  their  feet  to  the  poor  mortals'  shoulders,  pull  the  scalp  off  clean,  and 
carry  it  home  in  triumph,  being  as  proud  of  those  trophies,  as  the  Jews  used 
to  be  of  the  foreskins  of  the  Philistines.  This  way  of  scalping  was  practised 
by  the  ancient  Scythians,  who  used  these  hairy  scalps  as  towels  at  home,  and 
trappings  for  their  horses  when  they  went  abroad.  They  also  made  cups 
of  their  enemies'  skulls,  in  which  they  drank  prosperity  to  their  country,  and 
confusion  to  all  their  foes.  The  prisoners  they  happen  to  take  alive  in  these 
expeditions  generally  pass  their  time  very  scurvily.  They  put  them  to  all 
the  tortures  that  ingenious  malice  and  cruelty  can  invent.  And  (what  shows 
the  baseness  of  the  Indian  temper  in  perfection)  they  never  fail  to  treat  those 
with  greatest  inhumanity  that  have  distinguished  themselves  most  by  their 
bravery ;  and,  if  he  be  a  war  captain,  they  do  him  the  honour  to  roast  him 
alive,  and  distribute  a  collop  to  all  that  had  a  share  in  stealing  the  victory.* 

They  are  very  cunning  in  finding  out  new  ways  to  torment  their  unhappy 
captives,  though,  like  those  of  hell,  their  usual  method  is  by  fire.  Sometimes  they 
barbacue  them  over  live  coals,  taking  them  off  every  now  and  then,  to  pro- 
long their  misery ;  at  other  times  they  will  stick  sharp  pieces  of  lightwood 
all  over  their  bodies,  and  setting  them  on  fire,  let  them  burn  down  into  the 
flesh  to  the  very  bone.  And  when  they  take  a  stout  fellow,  that  they  believe 
able  to  endure  a  great  deal,  they  will  tear  all  the  flesh  off  his  bones  with  red 
hot  pincers.  While  these  and  such  like  barbarities  are  practising,  the  victors 
are  so  far  from  being  touched  with  tenderness  and  compassion,  that  they 

*  Though  who  can  reproach  the  poor  Indians  for  this,  when  Homer  makes  his  celebrated 
hero,  Achilles,  drag  the  body  of  Hector  at  the  tail  of  his  chariot,  for  having  fought 
gallantly  in  defence  of  his  country.  Nor  was  Alexander  the  Great,  with  all  his  famed 
generosity,  less  inhuman  to  the  brave  Tyrians,  two  thousand  of  whom  he  ordered  to  be  cru- 
cified in  cold  blood,  for  no  other  fault  but  for  having  defended  their  city  most  courageously 
against  him,  during  a  siege  of  seven  months.    And  what  was  still  more  brulal,  he  dragged 

alive at  the  tail  of  his  chariot,  through  all  the  streets,  for  defending  the  town  with  so 

much  vigour. 


THE  DIVIDEND  LIME.  59 

dance  and  sing  round  these  wretched  mortals,  showing  all  the  marks  of 
pleasure  and  jollity.  And  if  such  cruelties  happen  to  be  executed  in  their 
towns,  they  employ  their  children  in  tormenting  the  prisoners,  in  order  to 
extinguish  in  them  betimes  all  sentiments  of  humanity.  In  the  mean  time, 
while  these  poor  wretches  are  under  the  anguish  of  all  this  inhuman  treat- 
ment, they  disdain  so  much  as  to  groan,  sigh,  or  show  the  least  sign  of  dismay 
or  concern,  so  much  as  in  their  looks ;  on  the  contrary,  they  make  it  a  point 
of  honour  all  the  time  to  soften  their  features,  and  look  as  pleased  as  if  they 
were  in  the  actual  enjoyment  of  some  delight ;  and  if  they  never  sang  before 
in  their  lives,  they  will  be  sure  to  be  melodious  on  this  sad  and  dismal  occa- 
sion. So  prodigious  a  degree  of  passive  valour  in  the  Indians  is  the  more  to 
be  wondered  at,  because  in  all  articles  of  danger  they  are  apt  to  behave  like 
cowards.  And  what  is  still  more  surprising,  the  very  women  discover,  on 
such  occasions,  as  great  fortitude  and  contempt,  both  of  pain  and  death,  as 
the  gallantest  of  their  men  can  do. 

21st.  The  apprehensions  we  had  of  losing  the  horses  in  these  copse  woods 
were  too  well  founded,  nor  were  the  precautions  we  used  yesterday  of 
driving  them  up  sufficient  to  prevent  their  straying  away  afterwards,  not- 
withstanding they  were  securely  hobbled.  We  therefore  ordered  the  men 
out  early  this  morning  to  look  diligently  for  them,  but  it  was  late  before  any 
could  be  found.  It  seems  they  had  straggled  in  quest  of  forage,  and,  besides 
all  that,  the  bushes  grew  thick  enpugh  to  conceal  them  from  being  seen  at 
the  smallest  distance.  One  of  the  people  was  so  bewildered  in  search  of  his 
horse,  that  he  lost  himself,  being  no  great  forester.  However,  because  we 
were  willing  to  save  time,  we  left  two  of  our  most  expert  woodsmen  behind 
to  beat  all  the  adjacent  woods  in  quest  of  him. 

In  the  mean  while  the  surveyors  proceeded  vigorously  on  their  business, 
but  were  so  perplexed  with  thickets  at  their  first  setting  off,  that  their  pro- 
gress was  much  retarded.  They  were  no  sooner  over  that  difficulty,  but 
they  were  obliged  to  encounter  another.  The  rest  of  their  day's  work  lay 
over  very  sharp  hills,  where  the  dry  leaves  were  so  slippery  that  there  was 
hardly  any  hold  for  their  feet.  Such  rubs  as  these  prevented  them  from 
measuring  more  than  four  miles  and  two  hundred  and  seventy  poles.  Upon 
the  sides  of  these  hills  the  soil  was  rich,  though  full  of  stones,  and  the  trees 
reasonably  large. 

The  smoke  continued  still  to  veil  the  mountains  from  our  sight,  which 
made  us  long  for  rain,  or  a  brisk  gale  of  wind,  to  disperse  it.  Nor  was  the 
loss  of  this  wild  prospect  all  our  concern,  but  we  were  apprehensive  lest  the 
woods  should  be  burnt  in  the  course  of  our  line  before  us,  or  happen  to  take 
fire  behind  us,  either  of  which  would  effectually  have  starved  the  horses,  and 
made  us  all  foot  soldiers.  But  we  were  so  happy,  thank  God  !  as  to  escape 
this  misfortune  in  every  part  of  our  progress.  We  were  exceedingly  uneasy 
about  our  lost  man,  knowing  he  had  taken  no  provision  of  any  kind,  nor  was 
it  much  advantage  towards  his  support,  that  he  had  taken  his  gun  along  with 
him,  because  he  had  rarely  been  guilty  of  putting  any  thing  to  death.  He 
had  unluckily  wandered  from  the  camp  several  miles,  and  after  steering 
sundry  unsuccessful  courses,  in  order  to  return,  either  to  us  or  to  the  line, 
was  at  length  so  tired  he  could  go  no  farther.  In  this  distress  he  sat  himself 
down  under  a  tree,  to  recruit  his  jaded  spirit,  and  at  the  same  time  indulge  a 
few  melancholy  reflections.  Famine  was  the  first  phantom  that  appeared  to 
him,  and  was  the  more  frightful,  because  he  fancied  himself  not  quite  bear 
enough  to  subsist  long  upon  licking  his  paws.  In  the  mean  time  the  two 
persons  we  had  sent  after  him  hunted  diligently  great  part  of  the  day  with- 
out coming  upon  his  track.  They  fired  their  pieces  towards  every  point  of 
the  compass,  but  could  perceive  no  firing  in  return.     However,  advancing  a 


60  THE  HISTORY  OF 

little  farther,  at  last  they  made  a  lucky  shot,  that  our  straggler  had  the  good 
fortune  to  hear,  and  he  returning  the  salute,  they  soon  found  each  other  with 
no  small  satisfaction.  But  though  they  lighted  on  the  man,  they  could  by  no 
means  light  on  his  horse,  and  therefore  he  was  obliged  to  be  a  foot  soldier 
all  the  rest  of  the  journey.  Our  Indian  shot  a  bear  so  prodigiously  fat,  that 
there  was  no  way  to  kill  him  but  by  firing  in  at  his  ear.  The  fore  part  of  the 
skull  of  that  animal  being  guarded  by  a  double  bone,  is  hardly  penetrable, 
and  when  it  is  very  fat,  a  bullet  aimed  at  his  body  is  apt  to  lose  its  force,  be- 
fore it  reaches  the  vitals.  This  animal  is  of  the  dog  kind,  and  our  Indians,  as 
well  as  woodsmen,  are  as  fond  of  its  flesh  as  the  Chinese  can  be  of  that  of 
the  common  hound. 

22d.  Early  in  the  morning  we  sent  back  two  men  to  make  further  search 
for  the  horse  that  was  strayed  away.  We  were  unwilling  the  poor  man 
should  sustain  such  a  damage  as  would  eat  out  a  large  part  of  his  pay,  or 
that  the  public  should  be  at  the  expense  of  reimbursing  him  for  it.  These 
foresters  hunted  all  over  the  neighbouring  woods,  and  took  as  much  pains  as 
if  the  horse  had  been  their  own  property,  but  all  their  diligence  was  to  no 
purpose.  The  surveyors,  in  the  mean  time,  being  fearful  of  leaving  these 
men  too  far  behind,  advanced  the  line  no  farther  than  one  mile  and  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  poles.  As  we  rode  along  we  found  no  less  than  three  bears 
and  a  fat  doe,  that  our  Indian,  who  went  out  before  us,  had  thrown  in  our 
course,  and  we  were  very  glad  to  pick  them  up.  About  a  mile  from  the 
camp  we  crossed  Miry  creek,  so  called  because  several  of  the  horses  were 
mired  in  its  branches.  About  two  hundred  and  thirty  poles  beyond  that,  the 
line  intersected  another  river,  that  seemed  to  be  a  branch  of  the  Irvin,  to 
which  we  gave  the  name  of  the  Mayo,  in  complement  to  the  other  of  our 
surveyors.  It  was  about  fifty  yards  wide  where  we  forded  it,  being  just 
below  a  ledge  of  rocks,  which  reached  across  the  river,  and  made  a  natural 
cascade.  Our  horses  could  hardly  keep  their  feet  over  these  slippery  rocks, 
which  gave  some  of  their  riders  no  small  palpitation.  This  river  forks  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  ford,  and  has  some  scattering  canes  growing 
near  the  mouth  of  it.  We  pitched  our  tent  on  the  western  banks  of  the 
Mayo,  for  the  pleasure  of  being  lulled  to  sleep  by  the  cascade.  Here  our 
hunters  had  leisure  to  go  out  and  try  their  fortunes,  and  returned  loaded 
with  spoil.  They  brought  in  no  less  than  six  bears,  exceedingly  fat,  so  that 
the  frying  pan  had  no  rest  all  night.  We  had  now  the  opportunity  of  trying 
the  speed  of  this  lumpish  animal  by  a  fair  course  it  had  with  the  nimblest 
of  our  surveyors.  A  cub  of  a  year  old  will  run  very  fast,  because,  being 
upon  his  growth,  he  is  never  encumbered  with  too  much  fat ;  but  the  old 
ones  are  more  sluggish  and  unwieldy,  especially  when  mast  is  plenty.  Then 
their  nimblest  gait  is  only  a  heavy  gallop,  and  their  motion  is  still  slower 
down  hill,  where  they  are  obliged  to  sidle  along  very  awkwardly,  to  keep 
their  lights  from  rising  up  into  their  throat.  These  beasts  always  endeavour  to 
avoid  a  man,  except  they  are  wounded,  or  happen  to  be  engaged  in  the  pro- 
tection of  their  cubs.  By  the  force  of  these  instincts  and  that  of  self-preserv- 
ation, they  will  now  and  then  throw  off  all  reverence  for  their  Maker's 
image.  For  that  reason,  excess  of  hunger  will  provoke  them  to  the  same 
desperate  attack,  for  the  support  of  their  being.  A  memorable  instance  of 
the  last  case  is  said  to  have  happened  not  long  ago  in  New  England,  where  a 
bear  assaulted  a  man  just  by  his  own  door,  and  rearing  himself  upon  his 
haunches,  offered  to  take  him  lovingly  into  his  hug.  But  the  man's  wife  ob- 
serving the  danger  her  husband  was  in,  had  the  courage  to  run  behind  the 
bear,  and  thrust  her  two  thumbs  into  his  eyes.  This  made  Bruin  quit  the 
man,  and  turn  short  upon  the  woman  to  take  his  revenge,  but  she  had  the 
presence  of  mind  to  spring  back  with  more  than  female  agility,  and  so  both 
their  lives  were  preserved. 


t 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  Q  \ 

23d.  At  the  distance  of  sixty-two  poles  from  where  we  lay,  we  crossed 
the  south  branch  of  what  we  took  for  the  Irvin,  nor  was  it  without  difficulty 
we  got  over,  though  it  happened  to  be  without  damage.  Great  part  of  the 
way  after  that  was  mountainous,  so  that  we  were  no  sooner  got  down  one 
hill,  but  we  were  obliged  to  climb  up  another.  Only  for  the  last  mile  of  our 
stage,  we  encountered  a  locust  thicket  that  was  level,  but  interlaced  terribly 
with  briers  and  grape  vines.  We  forded  a  large  creek,  no  less  than  five 
times,  the  banks  of  which  were  so  steep  that  we  were  forced  to  cut  them 
down  with  a  hoe.  .We  gave  it  the  name  of  Crooked  creek,  because  of  its 
meanders.  The  sides  of  it  were  planted  with  shrub-canes,  extremely  inviting 
to  the  horses,  which  were  now  quite  jaded  with  clambering  up  so  many  pre- 
cipices, and  tugging  through  so  many  dismal  thickets,  notwithstanding  which 
we  pushed  the  line  this  day  four  miles  sixty-nine  poles.  The  men  were  so 
unthrifty  this  morning  as  to  bring  but  a  small  portion  of  their  abundance 
along  with  them.  This  was  the  more  unlucky,  because  we  could  discover 
no  sort  of  game  the  whole  livelong  day.  Woodsmen  are  certainly  good 
Christians  in  one  respect,  at  least,  that  they  always  leave  the  morrow  to  care 
for  itself;  though  for  that  very  reason  they  ought  to  pray  more  fervently  for 
their  daily  bread  than  most  of  them  remember  to  do. 

The  mountains  were  still  concealed  from  our  eyes  by  a  cloud  of  smoke. 
As  we  went  along  we  were  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  a  great  fire,  which  showed 
itself  to  the  northward.  This  made  our  small  corps  march  in  closer  order 
than  we  used  to  do,  lest  perchance  we  might  be  wTaylaid  by  Indians.  It 
made  us  look  out  sharp  to  see  if  we  could  discover  any  track  or  other  token 
of  these  insidious  foresters,  but  found  none.  In  the  mean  time  we  came 
often  upon  the  track  of  bears,  which  cannot  without  some  skill  be  distin- 
guished from  that  of  human  creatures,  made  with  naked  feet.  And  indeed  a 
young  woodsman  would  be  puzzled  to  find  out  the  difference,  which  consists 
principally  in  a  bear's  paws  being  something  smaller  than  a  man's  foot,  and 
in  its  leaving  sometimes  the  mark  of  its  claws  in  the  impression  made  upon 
the  ground. 

The  soil,  where  the  locust  thicket  grew,  was  exceedingly  rich,  as  it  con- 
stantly is,  where  that  kind  of  tree  is  naturally  and  largely  produced.  But 
the  desolation  made  there  lately,  either  by  fire  or  caterpillars,  had  been  so 
general,  that  we  could  not  see  a  tree  of  any  bigness  standing  within  our  pros- 
pect. And  the  reason  why  a  fire  makes  such  a  havoc  in  these  lonely  parts  is 
this.  The  woods  are  not  there  burnt  every  year,  as  they  generally  are  amongst 
the  inhabitants.  But  the  dead  leaves  and  trash  of  many  years  are  heaped 
up  together,  which  being  at  length  kindled  by  the  Indians  that  happen  to  pass 
that  way,  furnish  fuel  for  a  conflagration  that  carries  all  before  it.  There 
is  a  beautiful  range  of  hills,  as  level  as  a  terrace-walk,  that  overlooks  the 
valley  through  which  Crooked  creek  conveys  its  spiral  stream.  This  terrace 
runs  pretty  near  east  and  west,  about  two  miles  south  of  the  line,  and  is 
almost  parallel  with  it.  The  horses  had  been  too  much  harassed  to  permit 
us  to  ride  at  all  out  of  our  way,  for  the  pleasure  of  any  prospect,  or  the 
gratification  of  any  curiosity.  This  confined  us  to  the  narrow  sphere  of  our 
business,  and  is  at  the  same  time  a  just  excuse  for  not  animating  our  story 
with  greater  variety. 

24th.  The  surveyors  went  out  the  sooner  this  morning,  by  reason  the  men 
lost  very  little  time  in  cooking  their  breakfast.  They  had  made  but  a  spare 
meal  over  night,  leaving  nothing  but  the  hide  of  a  bear  for  the  morrow. 
Some  of  the  keenest  of  them  got  up  at  midnight  to  cook  that  nice  morsel  after 
the  Indian  manner.  They  first  singed  the  hair  clean  off,  that  none  of  it  might 
stick  in  their  throats ;  then  they  boiled  the  pelt  into  soup,  which  had  a  stratum 

I 


C 


62 


THE  HISTORY  OF 


/ 


of  grease  swimming  upon  it  full  half  an  inch  thick.   However,  they  commend- 
ed this  dish  extremely ;  though  I  believe  the  praises  they  gave  it  were  more 
owing  to  their  good  stomach  than  to  their  good  taste.   The  line  was  extended 
six  miles  and  three  hundred  poles,  and  in  that  distance  crossed  Crooked  creek 
at  least  eight  times  more.     We  were  forced  to  scuffle  through  a  thicket  about 
two  miles  in  breadth,  planted  with  locusts  and  hickory  saplings,  as  close  as, 
they  could  stand  together.     Amongst  these  there  was  hardly  a  tree  of  tolera- 
ble growth  within  view.     It  was  a  dead  plane  of  several  miles  extent,  and 
very  fertile  soil.     Beyond  that  the  woods  were  open  for  about  three  miles,  but 
mountainous.     All  the  rest  of  our  day's  journey  was  pestered  with  bushes 
and  grape  vines,  in  the  thickest  of  which  we  were  obliged  to  take  up  our 
quarters,  near  one  of  the  branches  of  Crooked  creek.     This  night  it  was  the 
men's  good  fortune  to  fare  very  sumptuously.     The  Indian  had  killed  two 
large  bears,  the  fattest  of  which  he  had  taken  napping.     One  of  the  people 
too  shot  a  rackoon,  which  is  also  of  the  dog  kind,  and  as  big  as  a  small  fox, 
though  its  legs  are  shorter,  and  when  fat  has  a  much  higher  relish  than  either 
mutton  or  kid.     It  is  naturally  not  carnivorous,  but  very  fond  of  Indian  corn 
and  persimmons.     The  fat  of  this  animal  is  reckoned  very  good  to  assuage 
swellings  and  inflammations.     Some  old  maids  are  at  the  trouble  of  breeding 
them  up  tame,  for  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  play  over  as  many  humorous 
tricks  as  a  monkey.     It  climbs  up  small  trees,  like  a  bear,  by  embracing  the 
bodies  of  them.     Till  this  night  we  had  accustomed  ourselves  to  go  to  bed 
in  our  night-gowns,  believing  we  should  thereby  be  better  secured  from  the 
cold :  but  upon  trial  found  we  lay  much  warmer  by  stripping  to  our  shirts, 
and  spreading  our  gowns  over  us.     A  true  woodsman,  if  he  have  no  more 
than  a  single  blanket,  constantly  pulls  all  off,  and,  lying  on  one  part  of  it, 
draws  the  other  over  him,  believing  it  much  more  refreshing  to  lie  so,  than  in 
his  clothes;  and  if  he  find  himself  not  warm  enough,  shifts  his  lodging  to 
leeward  of  the  fire,  in  which  situation  the  smoke  will  drive  over  him,  and 
effectually  correct  the  cold  dews,  that  would  otherwise  descend  upon  his 
person,  perhaps  to  his  great  damage. 

25th.  The  air  clearing  up  this  morning,  we  were  again  agreeably  sur- 
prised with  a  full  prospect  of  the  mountains.  They  discovered  themselves 
both  to  the  north  and  south  of  us,  on  either  side,  not  distant  above  ten  miles, 
according  to  our  best  computation.  We  could  now  see  those  to  the  north 
rise  in  four  distinct  ledges,  one  above  another,  but  those  to  the  south  formed 
only  a  single  ledge,  and  that  broken  and  interrupted  in  many  places ;  or  ra- 
ther they  were  only  single  mountains  detached  from  each  other.  One  of  the 
southern  mountains  was  so  vastly  high,  it  seemed  to  hide  its  head  in  the 
clouds,  and  the  west  end  of  it  terminated  in  a  horrible  precipice,  that  we 
called  the  Despairing  Lover's  Leap.  The  next  to  it,  towards  the  east,  was 
lower,  except  at  one  end,  where  it  heaved  itself  up  in  the  form  of  a  vast 
stack  of  chimneys.  The  course  of  the  northern  mountains  seemed  to  tend 
west-south-west,  and  those  to  the  southward  very  near  west.  We  could 
descry  other  mountains  ahead  of  us,  exactly  in  the  course  of  the  line,  though 
at  a  much  greater  distance.  In  this  point  of  view,  the  ledges  on  the  right 
and  left  both  seemed  to  close,  and  form  a  natural  amphitheatre.  Thus  it 
was  our  fortune  to  be  wedged  in  betwixt  these  two  ranges  of  mountains,  in- 
somuch that  if  our  line  had  run  ten  miles  on  either  side,  it  had  butted  before 
this  day  either  upon  one  or  the  other,  both  of  them  now  stretching  away 
plainly  to  the  eastward  of  us.  It  had  rained  a  little  in  the  night,  which  dis- 
persed the  smoke  and  opened  this  romantic  scene  to  us  all  at  once,  though  it 
was  again  hid  from  our  eyes  as  we  moved  forwards,  by  the  rough  woods  we 
^  had  the  misfortune  to  be  engaged  with.  The  bushes  were  so  thick  for  near 
four  miles  together,  that  they  tore  the  deer  skins  to  pieces  that  guarded  the 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  (33 

bread  bags.  Though,  as  rough  as  the  woods  were,  the  soil  was  extremely 
good  all  the  way,  being  washed  down  from  the  neighbouring  hills  into  the 
plain  country.  Notwithstanding  all  these  difficulties,  the  surveyors  drove 
on  the  line  four  miles  and  two  hundred  and  five  poles. 

In  the  mean  time  we  were  so  unlucky  as  to  meet  with  no  sort  of  game 
the  whole  day,  so  that  the  men  were  obliged  to  make  a  frugal  distribution  of 
what  little  they  left  in  the  morning.  We  encamped  upon  a  small  rill,  where 
the  horses  came  off  as  temperately  as  their  masters.  They  were  by  this 
time  grown  so  thin,  by  hard  travel  and  spare  feeding,  that  henceforth,  in  pure 
compassion,  we  chose  to  perform  the  greater  part  of  the  journey  on  foot. 
And  as  our  baggage  was  by  this  time  grown  much  lighter,  we  divided  it, 
after  the  best  manner,  so  that  every  horse's  load  might  be  proportioned  to  the 
strength  he  had  left.  Though,  after  all  the  prudent  measures  we  could  take, 
we  perceived  the  hills  began  to  rise  upon  us  so  fast  in  our  front,  that  it  would 
be  impossible  for  us  to  proceed  much  farther. 

We  saw  very  few  squirrels  in  the  upper  parts,  because  the  wild  cats  de- 
vour them  unmercifully.  Of  these  there  are  four  kinds :  the  fox  squirrel,  the 
gray,  the  flying,  and  the  ground  squirrel.  These  last  resemble  a  rat  in  every 
thing  but  the  tail,  and  the  black  and  russet  streaks  that  run  down  the  length 
of  their  little  bodies. 

26th.  We  found  our  way  grow  still  more  mountainous,  after  extending 
the  line  three  hundred  poles  farther.  We  came  then  to  a  rivulet  that  ran 
with  a  swift  current  towards  the  south.  This  we  fancied  to  be  another 
branch  of  the  Irvin,  though  some  of  the  men,  who  had  been  Indian  traders, 
judged  it  rather  to  be  the  head  of  Deep  river,  that  discharges  its  stream  into 
that  of  Pee  Dee ;  but  this  seemed  a  wild  conjecture.  The  hills  beyond  that 
river  were  exceedingly  lofty,  and  not  to  be  attempted  by  our  jaded  palfreys, 
which  could  now  hardly  drag  their  legs  after  them  upon  level  ground.  Be- 
sides, the  bread  began  to  grow  scanty,  and  the  winter  season  to  advance 
apace  upon  us.  We  had  likewise  reason  to  apprehend  the  consequences  of 
being  intercepted  by  deep  snows,  and  the  swelling  of  the  many  waters 
between  us  and  home.  The  first  of  these  misfortunes  would  starve  all  our 
horses,  and  the  other  ourselves,  by  cutting  off  our  retreat,  and  obliging  us  to 
winter  in  those  desolate  woods.  These  considerations  determined  us  to  stop 
short  here,  and  push  our  adventures  no  farther.  The  last  tree  we  marked 
was  a  red  oak,  growing  on  the  bank  of  the  river ;  and  to  make  the  place 
more  remarkable,  we  blazed  all  the  trees  around  it. 

We  found  the  whole  distance,  from  Coratuck  inlet  to  the  rivulet  where  we 
left  off,  to  be,  in  a  straight  line,  two  hundred  and  forty-one  miles  and  two 
hundred  and  thirty  poles.  And  from  the  place  where  the  Carolina  commis- 
sioners deserted  us,  seventy-two  miles  and  three  hundred  and  two  poles. 
This  last  part  of  the  journey  was  generally  very  hilly,  or  else  grown  up  with 
troublesome  thickets  and  underwoods,  all  which  our  Carolina  friends  had  the 
discretion  to  avoid.  We  encamped  in  a  dirty  valley  near  the  rivulet  above- 
mentioned,  for  the  advantage  of  the  canes,  and  so  sacrificed  our  own  conve- 
nience to  that  of  our  horses.  There  was  a  small  mountain  half  a  mile  to 
the  northward  of  us,  which  we  had  the  curiosity  to  climb  up  in  the  afternoon, 
in  order  to  enlarge  our  prospect.  From  thence  we  were  able  to  discover 
where  the  two  ledges  of  mountains  closed,  as  near  as  we  could  guess,  about 
thirty  miles  to  the  west  of  us,  and  lamented  that  our  present  circumstances 
would  not  permit  us  to  advance  the  line  to  that  place,  which  the  hand  of  Na- 
ture had  made  so  very  remarkable. 

Not  far  from  our  quarters  one  of  the  men  picked  up  a  pair  of  elk's  horns, 
not  very  large,  and  discovered  the  track  of  the  elk  that  had  shed  them.  It 
was  rare  to  find  any  tokens  of  those  animals  so  far  to  the  south,  because 


64 


THE  HISTORY  OF 


they  keep  commonly  to  the  northward  of  thirty-seven  degrees,  as  the  buffa- 
loes, for  the  most  part,  confine  themselves  to  the  southward  of  that  latitude. 
The  elk  is  full  as  big  as  a  horse,  and  of  the  deer  kind.  The  stags  only  have 
horns,  and  those  exceedingly  large  and  spreading.  Their  colour  is  some- 
thing lighter  than  that  of  the  red  deer,  and  their  flesh  tougher.  Their  swift- 
est speed  is  a  large  trot,  and  in  that  motion  they  turn  their  horns  back  upon 
their  necks,  and  cock  their  noses  aloft  in  the  air.  Nature  has  taught  them 
this  attitude  to  save  their  antlers  from  being  entangled  in  the  thickets,  which 
they  always  retire  to.  They  are  very  shy,  and  have  the  sense  of  smelling  so 
exquisite  that  they  wind  a  man  at  a  great  distance.  For  this  reason  they  are 
seldom  seen  but  when  the  air  is  moist,  in  which  case  their  smell  is  not  so 
nice.  They  commonly  herd  together,  and  the  Indians  say,  if  one  of  the 
drove  happen  by  some  wound  to  be  disabled  from  making  his  escape,  the 
rest  will  forsake  their  fears  to  defend  their  friend,  which  they  will  do  with 
great  obstinacy,  till  they  are  killed  upon  the  spot.  Though,  otherwise,  they 
are  so  alarmed  at  the  sight  of  a  man,  that  to  avoid  him  they  will  sometimes 
throw  themselves  down  very  high  precipices  into  the  river. 

A  misadventure  happened  here,  which  gave  us  no  small  perplexity.  One 
of  the  commissioners  was  so  unlucky  as  to  bruise  his  foot  against  a  stump, 
which  brought  on  a  formal  fit  of  the  gout.  It  must  be  owned  there  could 
not  be  a  more  unseasonable  time,  nor  a  more  improper  situation,  for  any  one 
to  be  attacked  by  that  cruel  distemper.  The  joint  was  so  inflamed  that  he 
could  neither  draw  shoe  nor  boot  upon  it ;  and  to  ride  without  either  would 
have  exposed  him  to  so  many  rude  knocks  and  bruises,  in  those  rough  woods, 
as  to  be  intolerable  even  to  a  stoic.  It  was  happy,  indeed,  that  we  were  to 
rest  here  the  next  day,  being  Sunday,  that  there  might  be  leisure  for  trying 
some  speedy  remedy.  Accordingly  he  was  persuaded  to  bathe  his  foot  in 
cold  water,  in  order  to  repel  the  humour  and  assuage  the  inflammation.  This 
made  it  less  painful,  and  gave  us  hopes,  too,  of  reducing  the  swelling  in  a 
short  time. 

Our  men  had  the  fortune  to  kill  a  brace  of  bears,  a  fat  buck,  and  a  wild 
turkey,  all  which  paid  them  with  interest  for  yesterday's  abstinence.  This 
constant  and  seasonable  supply  of  our  daily  wants  made  us  reflect  thankfully 
on  the  bounty  of  Providence.  And  that  we  might  not  be  unmindful  of  being 
all  along  fed  by  Heaven  in  this  great  and  solitary  wilderness,  we  agreed  to 
wear  in  our  hats  the  maosti,  which  is,  in  Indian,  the  beard  of  a  wild  turkey- 
cock,  and  on  our  breasts  the  figure  of  that  fowl  with  its  wings  extended,  and 
holding  in  its  claws  a  scroll,  with  this  motto,  "  Vice  coturnicum"  meaning  that 
we  had  been  supported  by  them  in  the  wilderness  in  the  room  of  quails. 

27th.  This  being  Sunday  we  were  not  wanting  in  our  thanks  to  Heaven 
for  the  constant  support  and  protection  we  had  been  favoured  with.  Nor 
did  our  chaplain  fail  to  put  us  in  mind  of  our  duty  by  a  sermon  proper  for 
the  occasion.  We  ordered  a  strict  inquiry  to  be  made  into  the  quantity  of 
bread  we  had  left,  and  found  no  more  than  would  subsist  us  a  fortnight  at 
short  allowance.  We  made  a  fair  distribution  of  our  whole  stock,  and  at 
the  same  time  recommended  to  the  men  to  manage  this,  their  last  stake,  to  the 
best  advantage,  not  knowing  how  long  they  would  be  obliged  to  live  upon  it. 
We  likewise  directed  them  to  keep  a  watchful  eye  upon  their  horses,  that 
none  of  them  might  be  missing  the  next  morning,  to  hinder  our  return. 
There  fell  some  rain  before  noon,  which  made  our  camp  more  a  bog  than  it 
was  before.  This  moist  situation  began  to  infect  some  of  the  men  with  fevers, 
and  some  with  fluxes,  which  however  we  soon  removed  with  Peruvian  bark 
and  ipocoacanah.  In  the  afternoon  we  marched  up  again  to  the  top  of 
the  hill  to  entertain  our  eyes  a  second  time  with  the  view  of  the  mountains, 
but  a  perverse  fog  arose  that  hid  them  from  our  sight.     In  the  evening  we 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  (35 

deliberated  which  way  it  might  be  most  proper  to  return.  We  had  at  first 
intended  to  cross  over  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  to  the  head  of  James 
river,  that  we  might  be  able  to  describe  that  natural  boundary  so  far.  But, 
on  second  thoughts,  we  found  many  good  reasons  against  that  laudable  de- 
sign, such  as  the  weakness  of  our  horses,  the  scantiness  of  our  bread,  and  the 
near  approach  of  winter.  We  had  cause  to  believe  the  way  might  be  full 
of  hills,  and  the  farther  we  went  towards  the  north,  the  more  danger  there 
would  be  of  snow.  Such  considerations  as  these  determined  us  at  last  to 
make  the  best  of  our  way  back  upon  the  line,  which  was  the  straightest,  and 
consequently  the  shortest  way  to  the  inhabitants.  We  knew  the  worst  of 
our  course,  and  were  sure  of  a  beaten  path  all  the  way,  while  we  were  totally 
ignorant  what  difficulties  and  dangers  the  other  course  might  be  attended 
with.  So  prudence  got  the  better  for  once  of  curiosity,  and  the  itch  for 
new  discoveries  gave  place  to  self-preservation.  Our  inclination  was  the 
stronger  to  cross  over  according  to  the  course  of  the  mountains,  that  we 
might  find  out  whether  James  river  and  Appomattox  river  head  there,  or 
run  quite  through  them.  It  is  certain  that  Potomac  passes  in  a  large  stream 
through  the  main  ledge,  and  then  divides  itself  into  two  considerable  rivers. 
That  which  stretches  away  to  the  northward  is  called  Cohungaroota,*  and 
that  which  flows  to  the  south-west,  hath  the  name  of  Sharantow.  The  course 
of  this  last  stream  is  near  parrallel  to  the  Blue  Ridge  of  mountains,  at  the  dis- 
tance only  of  about  three  or  four  miles.  Though  how  far  it  may  continue 
that  course  has  not  yet  been  sufficiently  discovered,  but  some  woodsmen  pre- 
tend to  say  it  runs  as  far  as  the  source  of  Roanoke ;  nay,  they  are  so  very 
particular  as  to  tell  us  that  Roanoke,  Sharantow,  and  another  wide  branch  of 
Mississippi,  all  head  in  one  and  the  same  mountain.  What  dependence  there 
may  be  upon  this  conjectural  geography,  I  will  not  pretend  to  say,  though  it  is 
certain  that  Sharantow  keeps  close  to  the  mountains,  as  far  as  we  are 
acquainted  with  its  tendency.  We  are  likewise  assured  that  the  south  branch 
of  James  river,  within  less  than  twenty  miles  east  of  the  main  ledge,  makes 
an  elbow,  and  runs  due  south-west,  which  is  parallel  with  the  mountains  on 
this  side.  But  how  far  it  stretches  that  way,  before  it  returns,  is  not  yet  cer- 
tainly known,  no  more  than  where  it  takes  its  rise. 

In  the  mean  time  it  is  strange  that  our  woodsmen  have  not  had  curiosity 
enough  to  inform  themselves  more  exactly  of  these  particulars,  and  it  is 
stranger  still  that  the  government  has  never  thought  it  worth  the  expense  of 
making  an  accurate  survey  of  the  mountains,  that  we  might  be  masters  of 
that  natural  fortification  before  the  French,  who  in  some  places  have  settle- 
ments not  very  distant  from  it.  It  therefore  concerns  his  majesty's  service 
very  nearly,  and  the  safety  of  his  subjects  in  this  part  of  the  world,  to  take 
possession  of  so  important  a  barrier  in  time,  lest  our  good  friends,  the  French, 
and  the  Indians,  through  their  means,  prove  a  perpetual  annoyance  to  these 
colonies.  Another  reason  to  invite  us  to  secure  this  great  ledge  of  mountains 
is,  the  probability  that  very  valuable  mines  may  be  discovered  there.  Nor 
would  it  be  at  all  extravagant  to  hope  for  silver  mines,  among  the  rest,  be- 
cause part  of  these  mountains  lie  exactly  in  the  same  parallel,  as  well  as 
upon  the  same  continent  with  New  Mexico,  and  the  mines  of  St.  Barb. 

28th.  We  had  given  orders  for  the  horses  to  be  brought  up  early,  but  the 
likelihood  of  more  rain  prevented  our  being  over-hasty  in  decamping.  Nor 
were  we  out  in  our  conjectures,  for  about  ten  o'clock  it  began  to  fall  very 
plentifully.  Our  commissioner's  pain  began  now  to  abate,  as  the  swelling 
increased.     He  made  an  excellent  figure  for  a  mountaineer,  with  one  boot  of 

*  Which  by  a  late  survey  has  been  found  to  extend  above  two  hundred  miles  before  it 
reaches  its  source,  in  a  mountain,  from  whence  Allegany,  one  of  the  branches  of  Missis- 
sippi, takes  its  rise,  and  runs  south-west,  as  this  river  does  south-east. 


65  THE  HISTORY  Q¥ 

leather  and  the  other  of  flannel'.  Thus  accoutred,  he  intended  to  mount,  if 
the  rain  had  not  happened  opportunely  to  prevent  him.  Though,  in  truth,  it 
was  hardly  possible  for  him  to  ride  with  so  slender  a  defence,  without  expos- 
ing his  foot  to  be  bruised  and  tormented  by  the  saplings,  that  stood  thick  on 
either  side  of  the  path.  It  was  therefore  a  most  seasonable  rain  for  him,  as 
it  gave  more  time  for  his  distemper  to  abate.  Though  it  may  be  very  dif- 
ficult to  find,  a  certain  cure  for  the  gout,  yet  it  is  not  improbable  but  some 
things  may  ease  the  pain,  and  shorten  the  fits  of  it.  And  those  medicines 
are  most  likely  to  do  this,  that  supple  the  parts,  and  clear  the  passage  through 
the  narrow  vessels,  that  are  the  seat  of  this  cruel  disease.  Nothing  will  do 
this  more  suddenly  than  rattle-snake's  oil,  which  will  even  penetrate  the  pores 
of  glass  when  warmed  in  the  sun.  It  was  unfortunate,  therefore,  that  we  had 
not  taken  out  the  fat  of  those  snakes  we  had  killed  some  time  before,  for  the 
benefit  of  so  useful  an  experiment,  as  well  as  for  the  relief  of  our  fellow-tra- 
veller. But  lately  the  Seneca  rattle-snake  root  has  been  discovered  in  this 
country,  which  being  infused  in  wine,  and  drunk  morning  and  evening,  has 
in  several  instances  had  a  very  happy  effect  upon  the  gout,  and  enabled  crip- 
ples to  throw  away  their  crutches  and  walk  several  miles,  and,  what  is 
stranger  still,  it  takes  away  the  pain  in  half  an  hour.  Nor  was  the  gout  the 
only  disease  amongst  us  that  was  hard  to  cure.  We  had  a  man  in  our 
company  who  had  too  voracious  a  stomach  for  a  woodsman.  He  ate  as 
much  as  any  other  two,  but  all  he  swallowed  stuck  by  him  till  it  was  carried 
off  by  a  strong  purge.  Without  this  assistance,  often  repeated,  his  belly  and 
bowels  would  swell  to  so  enormous  a  bulk  that  he  could  hardly  breathe,  es- 
pecially when  he  lay  down,  just  as  if  he  had  had  an  asthma ;  though,  notwith- 
standing this  oddness  of  constitution,  he  was  a  very  strong,  lively  fellow,  and 
used  abundance  of  violent  exercise,  by  which  it  was  wonderful  the  peristal- 
tic motion  was  not  more  vigorously  promoted.  We  gave  this  poor  man 
several  purges,  which  only  eased  him  for  the  present,  and  the  next  day  he 
would  grow  as  burly  as  ever.  At  last  we  gave  him  a  moderate  dose  of  ipo- 
coacanah,  in  broth  made  very  salt,  which  turned  all  its  operation  downwards. 
This  had  so  happy  an  effect  that,  from  that  day  forward  to  the  end  of  our 
journey,  all  his  complaints  ceased,  and  the  passages  continued  unobstructed. 

The  rain  continued  most  of  the  day  and  some  part  of  the  night,  which  in- 
commoded us  much  in  our  dirty  camp,  and  made  the  men  think  of  nothing 
but  eating,  even  at  the  time  when  nobody  could  stir  out  to  make  provision 
for  it. 

29th.  Though  we  were  flattered  in  the  morning  with  the  usual  tokens  of 
a  fair  day,  yet  they  all  blew  over,  and  it  rained  hard  before  we  could  make 
ready  for  our  departure.  This  was  still  in  favour  of  our  podagrous  friend, 
whose  lameness  was  now  grown  better,  and  the  inflammation  fallen.  Nor  did 
it  seem  to  need  above  one  day  more  to  reduce  it  to  its  natural  proportion,  and 
make  it  fit  for  the  boot ;  and  effectually  the  rain  procured  this  benefit  for 
him,  and  gave  him  particular  reason  to  believe  his  stars  propitious.  Notwith- 
standing the  falling  weather,  our  hunters  sallied  out  in  the  afternoon,  and 
drove  the  woods  in  a  ring,  which  was  thus  performed.  From  the  circumfer- 
ence of  a  large  circle  they  all  marched  inwards  and  drove  the  game  towards 
the  centre.  By  this  means  they  shot  a  brace  of  fat  bears,  which  came  very 
seasonably,  because  we  had  made  clean  work  in  the  morning  .and  were  in 
danger  of  dining  with  St.  Anthony,  or  his  grace  Duke  Humphry.  But  in 
this  expedition  the  unhappy  man  who  had  lost  himself  once  before,  straggled 
again  so  far  in  pursuit  of  a  deer,  that  he  was  hurried  a  second  time  quite  out  of 
his  knowledge ;  and  night  coming  on  before  he  could  recover  the  camp,  he  was 
obliged  to  lie  down,  without  any  of  the  comforts  of  fire,  food  or  covering ; 
nor  would  his  fears  suffer  him  to  sleep  very  sound,  because,  to  his  great  dis- 


THE  DIVIDING  LIJNF..  67 

turbance,  the  wolves  howled  all  that  night,  and  the  panthers  screamed  most 
frightfully.  In  the  evening  a  brisk  north-wester  swept  all  the  clouds  from 
the  sky,  and  exposed  the  mountains  as  well  as  the  stars  to  our  prospect. 
That  which  was  the  most  lofty  to  the  southward,  and  which  we  called  the 
Lover's  Leap,  some  of  our  Indian  traders  fondly  fancied  was  the  Kiawan 
mountain,  which  they  had  formerly  seen  from  the.  country  of  the  Cherokees. 
They  were  the  more  positive  by  reason  of  the  prodigious  precipice  that  re- 
markably distinguished  the  wesT~ettd  of  it.  We  seemed  however  not  to  be 
far  enough  south  for  that,  though  it  is  not  improbable  but  a  few  miles  farther  ' 
the  course  of  our  line  might  carry  us  to  the  most  northerly  towns  of  the 
Cherokees.  What  makes  this  the  more  credible,  is  the  north-west  course, 
that  our  traders  take  from  the  Catawbas  for  some  hundred  miles  together, 
when  they  carry  goods  that  round-about  way  to  the  Cherokees.  It  was  a 
great  pity  that  the  want  of  bread,  and  the  weakness  of  our  horses,  hindered  us 
from  making  the  discovery.  Though  the  great  service  such  an  excursion  might 
have  been  to  the  country  would  certainly  have  made  the  attempt  not  only 
pardonable,  but  much  to  be  commended.  Our  traders  are  now  at  the  vast 
charge  and  fatigue  of  travelling  above  five  hundred  miles  for  the  benefit  of 
that  traffic  which  hardly  quits  cost.  Would  it  not  then  be  worth  the  as- 
sembly's while  t4o  be  at  some  charge  to  find  a  shorter  cut  to  carry  on  so  pro- 
fitable a  trade,  with  more  advantage,  and  less  hazard  and  trouble,  than  they 
do  at  present  ?  For  I  am  persuaded  it  will  not  then  be  half  the  distance  that 
our  traders  make  it  now,  nor  half  so  far  as  Georgia  lies  from  the  northern 
clans  of  that  nation.  Such  a  discovery  would  certainly  prove  an  unspeak- 
able advantage  to  this  colony,  by  facilitating  a  trade  with  so  considerable  a 
nation  of  Indians,  which  have  sixty-two  towns,  and  more  than  four  thousand 
fighting  men.  Our  traders  at'that  rate  would  be  able  to  undersell  those  sent 
from  the  other  colonies  so  much,  that  the  Indians  must  have  reason  to  deal 
with  them  preferable  to  all  others.  Of  late  the  new  colony  of  Georgia  has 
made  an  act  obliging  us  to  go  four  hundred  miles  to  take  out  a  license  to 
traffic  with  these  Cherokees,  though  many  of  their  towns  lie  out  of  their 
bounds,  and  we  had  carried  on  this  trade  eighty  years  before  that  colony  was 
thought  of 

30th.  In  the  morning  early  the  man  who  had  gone  astray  the  day  before 
found  his  way  to  the  camp,  by  the  sound  of  the  bells  that  were  upon  the 
horses'  necks.  At  nine  o'clock  we  began  our  march  back  towards  the  rising 
sun  ;  for  though  we  had  finished  the  line,  yet  we  had  not  yet  near  finished 
our  fatigue.  We  had  after  all  two  hundred  good  miles  at  least  to  our  several 
habitations,  and  the  horses  were  brought  so  low,  that  we  were  obliged  to 
travel  on  foot  great  part  of  the  way,  and  that  in  our  boots,  too,  to  save  our 
legs  from  being  torn  to  pieces  by  the  bushes  and  briers.  Had  we  not  done 
this,  we  must  have  left  all  our  horses  behind,  which  could  now  hardly  drag 
their  legs  after  them,  and  with  all  the  favour  we  could  show  the  poor  animals, 
we  were  forced  to  set  seven  of  them  free,  not  far  from  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains. Four  men  were  despatched  early  to  clear  the  road,  that  our  lame 
commissioner's  leg  might  be  in  less  danger  of  being  bruised,  and  that  the 
baggage  horses  might  travel  with  less  difficulty  and  more  expedition.  As  we 
passed  along,  by  favour  of  a  serene  sky,  we  had  still,  from  every  eminence,  a 
perfect  view  of  the  mountains,  as  well  to  the  north  as  to  the  south.  We 
could  not  forbear  now  and  then  facing  about  to  survey  them,  as  if  unwilling 
to  part  with  a  prospect,  which  at  the  same  time,  like  some  rake's,  was  very 
wild  and  very  agreeable.  We  encouraged  the  horses  to  exert  the  little 
strength  they  had,  and  being  light,  they  made  a  shift  to  jog  on  about  eleven 
miles.  We  encamped  on  Crooked  creek,  near  a  thicket  of  canes.  In  the 
front  of  our  camp  rose  a  very  beautiful  hill,  that  bounded  our  view  at  about  a 


58  THE  HISTORY  OF 

mile's  distance,  and  all  the  intermediate  space  was  covered  with  green  canes. 
Though,  to  our  sorrow,  fire-wood  was  scarce,  which  was  now  the  harder 
upon  us,  because  a  north-wester  blew  very  cold  from  the  mountains. 

The  Indian  killed  a  stately,  fat  buck,  and  we  picked  his  bones  as  clean  as  a 
score  of  turkey-buzzards  could  have  done.  By  the  advantage  of  a  clear 
night,  we  made  trial  once  more  of  the  variation,  and  found  it  much  the  same 
as  formerly.  This  being  his  majesty's  birthday,  we  drank  all  the  loyal  healths 
in  excellent  water,  not  for  the  sake  of  the  drink,  (like  many  of  our  fellow  sub- 
jects,) but  purely  for  the  sake  of  the  toast.  And  because  all  public  mirth 
should  be  a  little  noisy,  we  fired  several  volleys  of  canes,  instead  of  guns, 
which  gave  a  loud  report.  We  threw  them  into  the  fire,  where  the  air  en- 
closed betwixt  the  joints  of  the  canes,  being  expanded  by  the  violent  heat, 
burst  its  narrow  bounds  with  a  considerable  explosion ! 

In  the  evening  one  of  the  men  knocked  down  an  opossum,  which  is  a 
harmless  little  beast,  that  will  seldom  go  out  of  your  way,  and  if  you  take 
hold  of  it,  will  only  grin,  and  hardly  ever  bite.  The  flesh  was  well  tasted 
and  tender,  approaching  nearest  to  pig,  which  it  also  resembles  in  bigness. 
The  colour  of  its  fur  was  a  goose  gray,  with  a  swine's  snout,  and  a  tail  like 
a  rat's,  but  at  least  a  foot  long.  By  twisting  this  tail  about  the  arm  of  a  tree, 
it  will  hang  with  all  its  weight,  and  swing  to  any  thing  it  wants  to  take  hold 
of.  It  has  five  claws  on  the  fore  feet  of  equal  length,  but  the  hinder  feet  have 
only  four  claws,  and  a  sort  of  thumb  standing  off  at  a  proper  distance. 
Their  feet  being  thus  formed,  qualify  them  for  climbing  up  trees  to  catch  little 
birds,  which  they  are  very  fond  of.  .But  the  greatest  particularity  of  this 
creature,  and  which  distinguishes  it  from  most  others  that  we  are  acquainted 
with,  is  the  false  belly  of  the  female,  into  which  her  young  retreat  in  time  of 
danger.  She  can  draw  the  slit,  which  is  the  inlet  into  this  pouch,  so  close, 
that  you  must  look  narrowly  to  find  it,  especially  if  she  happen  to  be  a  virgin. 
"Within  the  false  belly  may  be  seen  seven  or  eight  teats,  on  which  the  young 
ones  grow  from  their  first  formation  till  they  are  big  enough  to  fall  off,  like 
ripe  fruit  from  a  tree.  This  is  so  odd  a  method  of  generation,  that  I  should 
not  have  believed  it  without  the  testimony  of  mine  own  eyes.  Besides  a 
knowing  and  credible  person  has  assured  me  he  has  more  than  once  observed 
the:embryo  opossums  growing  to  the  teat  before  they  were  completely  shaped, 
and  afterwards  watched  their  daily  growth  till  they  were  big  enough  for 
birth.  And  all  this  he  could  the  more  easily  pry  into,  because  the  dam  was 
so  perfectly  gentle  and  harmless,  that  he  could  handle  her  just  as  he  pleased. 
I  could  hardly  persuade  myself  to  publish  a  thing  so  contrary  to  the  course 
that  nature  takes  in  the  production  of  other  animals,  unless  it  were  a  matter 
commonly  believed  in  all  countries  where  that  creature  is  produced,  and  has 
been  often  observed  by  persons  of  undoubted  credit  and  understanding. 
They  say  that  the  leather-winged  bats  produce  their  young  in  the  same  un- 
common manner.  And  that  young  sharks  at  sea,  and  young  vipers  ashore, 
run  down  the  throats  of  their  dams  when  they  are  closely  pursued. 

The  frequent  crossing  of  Crooked  creek,  and  mounting  the  steep  banks  of 
it,  gave  the  finishing  stroke  to  the  foundering  our  horses :  and  no  less  than 
two  of  them  made  a  full  stop  here,  and  would  not  advance  a  foot  farther,  either 
by  fair  means  or  foul.  We  had  a  dreamer  of  dreams  amongst  us,  who 
warned  me  in  the  morning  to  take  care  of  myself,  or  I  should  infallibly  fall 
into  the  creek ;  I  thanked  him  kindly,  and  used  what  caution  I  could,  but  was 
not  able  it  seems  to  avoid  my  destiny,  for  my  horse  made  a  false  step  and 
laid  me  down  at  my  full  length  in  the  water.  This  was  enough  to  bring 
dreaming  into  credit,  and  I  think  it  much  for  the  honour  of  our  expedition, 
that  it  was  graced  not  only  with  a  priest  but  also  with  a  prophet.  We  were 
so  perplexed  with  this  serpentine  creek,  as  well  as  in  passing  the  branches  of 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  69 

the  Irvin,  (which  were  swelled  since  we  saw  them  before,)  that  we  could  reach 
but  five  miles  this  whole  day.  In  the  evening  we  pitched  our  tent  near  Miry 
creek,  (though  an  uncomfortable  place  to  lodge  in)  purely  for  the  advantage 
of  the  canes.  Our  hunters  killed  a  large  doe  and  two  bears,  which  made  all 
other  misfortunes  easy.  Certainly  no  Tartar  ever  loved  horse-flesh,  nor 
Hottentot  guts  and  garbage,  better  than  woodsmen  do  bear.  The  truth  of  it 
is,  it  may  be  proper  food  perhaps  for  such  as  work  or  ride  it  off,  but,  with  our 
chaplain's  leave,  who  loved  it  much,  I  think  it  not  a  very  proper  diet 
for  saints,  who  do  not  mortify  the  flesh  by  toil.  And  now,  for  the  good 
of  mankind,  and  for  the  better  peopling  an  infant  colony,  which  has  no 
want  but  that  of  inhabitants,  I  will  venture  to  publish  a  secret  of  importance, 
which  our  Indian  disclosed  to  me.  I  asked  him  the  reason  why  few  or  none 
of  his  countrywomen  were  barren  1  To  which  curious  question  he  answered, 
with  a  broad  grin  upon  his  face,  they  had  an  infallible  secret  for  that.  Upon 
my  being  importunate  to  know  what  the  secret  might  be,  he  informed  me 
that,  if  any  Indian  woman  did  not  prove  with  child  at  a  decent  time  after 
marriage,  the  husband,  to  save  his  reputation  with  the  women,  forthwith  en- 
tered into  a  bear-diet  for  six  weeks,  which  in  that  time  produces  such  healthy 
effect,  that  it  is  great  odds  but  his  wife  becomes  a  mother  in  nine  months. 
And  thus  much;  I  am  able  to  say,  besides,  for  the  reputation' of  the  bear 
diet,  that  all  the  married  men  of  our  company  were  joyful  fathers  within 
forty  weeks  after  they  got  home,  and  most  of  the  single  men  had  children 
sworn  to  them  within  the  same  time,  our  chaplain  always  excepted,  who, 
with  much  ado,  made  a  shift  to  cast  out  that  importunate  kind  of  devil,  by 
dint  of  fasting  and  prayer. 

November  1st.  By  the  negligence  of  one  of  the  men  in  not  hobbling  his 
horse,  he  straggled  so  far  that  he  could  not  be  found.  This  stopped  us  all 
the  morning  long ;  yet,  because  our  time  should  not  be  entirely  lost,  we  en- 
deavoured to  observe  the  latitude  at  twelve  o'clock.  Though  our  observa- 
tion was  not  perfect,  by  reason  the  wind  blew  a  little  too  fresh,  however,  by 
such  a  one  as  we  could  make,  we  found  ourselves  in  thirty-six  degrees  twenty 
minutes  only.  Notwithstanding  our  being  thus  delayed,  and  the  uneveness 
of  the  ground,  over  which  we  were  obliged  to  walk,  (for  most  of  us 
served  now  in  the  infantry,)  we  travelled  no  less  than  six  miles,  though  as 
merciful  as  we  were  to  our  poor  beasts,  another  of  them  tired  by  the  way, 
and  was  left  behind  for  the  wolves  and  panthers  to  feast  upon. 

As  we  marched  along,  we  had  the  fortune  to  kill  a  brace  of  bucks,  as  many 
bears,  and  one  wild  turkey.  But  this  was  carrying  our  sport  to  wanton- 
ness, because  we  butchered  more  than  we  were  able  to  transport.  We 
ordered  the  deer  to  be  quartered  and  divided  among  the  horses  for  the  lighter 
carriage,  and  recommended  the  bears  to  our  daily  attendants,  the  turkey- 
buzzards.  We  always  chose  to  carry  venison  along  with  us  rather  than 
bear,  not  only  because  it  was  less  cumbersome,  but  likewise  because  the  peo- 
ple could  eat  it  without  bread,  which  was  now  almost  spent.  Whereas  the 
other,  being  richer  food,  lay  too  heavy  upon  the  stomach,  unless  it  were  light- 
ened by  something  farinaceous.  This  is  what  I  thought  proper  to  remark, 
for  the  service  of  all  those  whose  business  or  diversion  shall  oblige  them  to 
live  any  time  in  the  woods.  And  because  I  am  persuaded  that  very  useful 
matters  may  be  found  out  by  searching  this  great  wilderness,  especially  the 
upper  parts  of  it,  about  the  mountains,  I  conceive  it  will  help  to  engage  able 
men  in  that  good  work,  if  I  recommend  a  wholesome  kind  of  food,  of  very 
small  weight  and  very  great  nourishment,  that  will  secure  them  from  starving, 
in  case  they  should  be  so  unlucky  as  to  meet  with  no  game.  The  chief  dis- 
couragement at  present  from  penetrating  far  into  the  woods  is  the  trouble  of 
carrying  a  load  of  provisions.    I  must  own  famine  is  a  frightful  monster,  and 

K 


70 


THE  HISTORY  OF 


for  that  reason  to  be  guarded  against  as  well  as  we  can.  But  the  common 
precautions  against  it,  are  so  burthensome,  that  people  cannot  tarry  long  out, 
and  go  far  enough  from  home,  to  make  any  effectual  discovery.  The  porta- 
ble provisions  I  would  furnish  our  foresters  withal  are  glue-broth  and 
rockahominy:  one_  contains  the  essence  of  bread,  the  other  of  meat.  '  The 
best  way  of  making  the  glue-broth  is  after  the  following  method :  Take  a 
leg  of  beef,  veal,  venison,  or  any  other  young  meat,  because  old  meat  will  not 
so  easily  jelly.  Pare  off  all  the  fat,  in  which  there  is  no  nutriment,  and  of  the 
lean  make  a  very  strong  broth,  after  the  usual  manner,  by  boiling  the  meat 
to  rags  till  all  the  goodness  be  out.  After  skimming  off  what  fat  remains, 
pour  the  broth  into  a  wide  stew-pan,  well  tinned,  and  let  it  simmer  over  a 
gentle  even  fire,  till  it  come  to  a  thick  jelly.  Then  take  it  off  and  set  it  over 
boiling  water,  which  is  an  evener  heat,  and  not  so  apt  to  burn  the  broth  to 
the  vessel.  Over  that  let  it  evaporate,  stirring  it  very  often  till  it  be  reduced, 
when  cold,  into  a  solid  substance  like  glue.  Then  cut  it  into  small  pieces,  laying 
them  single  in  the  cold,  that  they  may  dry  the  sooner.  When  the  pieces  are 
perfectly  dry,  put  them  into  a  canister,  and  they  will  be  good,  if  kept 
dry,  a  whole  East  India  voyage.  This  glue  is  so  strong,  that  two  or  three 
drachms,  dissolved  in  boiling  water  with  a  little  salt,  will  make  half  a  pint  of 
good  broth,  and  if  you  should  be  faint  with  fasting  or  fatigue,  let  a  small  piece 
of  this  glue  melt  in  your  mouth,  and  you  will  find  yourself  surprisingly  re- 
freshed. One  pound  of  this  cookery  would  keep  a  man  in  good  heart  above 
a  month,  and  is  not  only  nourishing,  but  likewise  very  wholesome.  Particu- 
larly it  is  good  against  fluxes,  which  woodsmen  are  very  liable  to,  by  lying 
too  near  the  moist  ground,  and  guzzling  too  much  cold  water.  But  as  it  will 
be  only  used  now  and  then,  in  times  of  scarcity,  when  game  is  wanting,  two 
pounds  of  it  will  be  enough  for  a  journey  of  six  months.  But  this  broth  will 
be  still  more  heartening,  if  you  thicken  every  mess  with  half  a  spoonful  of 
rockahominy,  which  is  nothing  but  Indian  corn  parched  without  burning,  and 
reduced  to  powder.  The  fire  drives  out  all  the  watery  parts  of  the  corn, 
leaving  the  strength  of  it  behind,  and  this  being  very  dry,  becomes  much 
lighter  for  carriage  and  less  liable  to  be  spoiled  by  the  moist  air.  Thus  half  a 
dozen  pounds  of  this  sprightful  bread  will  sustain  a  man  for  as  many  months, 
provided  he  husband  it  well,  and  always  spare  it  when  he  meets  with  venison, 
which,  as  I  said  before,  may  be  very  safely  eaten  without  any  bread  at  all. 
By  what  I  have  said,  a  man  need  not  encumber  himself  w"ith  more  than 
eight  or  ten  pounds  of  provisions,  though  he  continue  half  a  year  in  the 
/  woods.  These  and  his  gun  will  support  him  very  well  during  that  time,  with- 
out the  least  danger  of  keeping  one  single  fast.  And  though  some  of  his 
days  may  be  what  the  French  call  jours  maigres,  yet  there  will  happen  no 
more  of  those  than  will  be  necessary  for  his  health,  and  to  carry  off  the 
excesses  of  the  days  of  plenty,  when  our  travellers  will  be  apt  to  indulge 
their  lawless  appetites  too  much. 

2d.  The  heavens  frowned  this  morning,  and  threatened  abundance  of 
rain,  but  our  zeal  for  returning  made  us  defy  the  weather,  and  decamp  a  little 
before  noon.  Yet  we  had  not  advanced  two  miles,  before  a  soaking  shower 
made  us  glad  to  pitch  our  tent  as  fast  as  we  could.  We  chose  for  that  pur- 
pose a  rising  ground,  half  a  mile  to  the  east  of  Matrimony  creek.  This  was 
the  first  and  only  time  we  were  caught  in  the  rain,  during  the  whole  expe- 
dition. It  used  before  to  be  so  civil  as  to  fall  in  the  night,  after  we  were  safe 
in  our  quarters,  and  had  trenched  ourselves  in ;  or  else  it  came  upon  us  on 
Sundays,  when  it  was  no  interruption  to  our  progress,  nor  any  inconvenience 
to  our  persons.  We  had,  however,  been  so  lucky  in  this  particular  before, 
that  we  had  abundant  reason  to  take  our  present  soaking  patiently,  and  the 
misfortune  was  the  less,  because  we  had  taken  precaution   to  keep  all  our 


IE  DIVIDING  LINE  7  J 

baggage  and  bedding  perfectly  dry.  This  rain  was  enlivened  with  very  loud 
thunder,  which  was  echoed  back  by  the  hills  in  the  neighbourhood  in  a  fright- 
ful manner.  There  is  something  in  the  woods  that  makes  the  sound  of  this 
meteor  more  awful,  and  the  violence  of  the  lightning  more  visible.  The 
trees  are  frequently  shivered  quite  down  to  the  root,  and  sometimes  perfectly 
twisted.  But  of  all  the  effects  of  lightning  that  ever  I*ieard  of,  the  most 
amazing  happened  in  this  country,  in  the  }rear  1736.  In  the  summer  of  that 
year  a  surgeon  of  a  ship,  whose  name  was  Davis,  came  ashore  at  York  to 
visit  a  patient.  He  was  no  sooner  got  into  the  house,  but  it  began  to  rain 
with  many  terrible  claps  of  thunder.  When  it  was  almost  dark  there  came 
a  dreadful  flash  of  lightning,  which  struck  the  surgeon  dead  as  he  was  walk- 
ing about  the  room,  but  hurt  no  other  person,  though  several  were  near  him. 
At  the  same  time  it  made  a  large  hole  in  the  trunk  of  a  pine  tree,  which  grew 
about  ten  feet  from  the  window.  But  what  was  most  surprising  in  this  dis- 
aster was,  that  on  the  breast  of  the  unfortunate  man  that  was  killed  was 
the  figure  of  a  pine  tree,  as  exactly  delineated  as  any  limner  in  the  world 
could  draw  it,  nay,  the  resemblance  went  so  far  as  to  represent  the  colour 
of  the  pine,  as  well  as  the  figure.  The  lightning  must  probably  have  passed 
through  the  tree  first  before  it  struck  the  man,  and  by  that  means  have  printed 
the  icon  of  it  on  his  breast.  But  whatever  may  have  been  the  cause,  the  effect 
was  certain,  and  can  be  attested  by  a  cloud  of  witnesses  who  had  the  curi- 
osity to  go  and  see  this  wonderful  phenomenon.  The  worst  of  it  was,  we 
were  forced  to  encamp  in  a  barren  place,  where  there  was  hardly  a  blade 
of  grass  to  be  seen,  even  the  wild  rosemary  failed  us  here,  which  gave  us 
but  too  just  apprehensions  that  we  should  not  only  be  obliged  to  trudge  all 
the  way  home  on  foot,  but  also  to  lug  our  baggage  at  our  backs  into  the  bar- 
gain. Thus  we  learned  by  our  own  experience,  that  horses  are  very  impro- 
per animals  to  use  in  a  long  ramble  into  the  woods,  and  the  better  they  have 
been  used  to  be  fed,  they  are  still  the  worse.  Such  will  fall  away  a  great 
deal  faster,  and  fail  much  sooner,  than  those  which  are  wont  to  be  at  their 
own  keeping.  Besides,  horses  that  have  been  accustomed  to  a  plain  and 
champaign  country  will  founder  presently,  when  they  come  to  clamber  up 
hills,  and  batter  their  hoofs  against  continual  rocks.  We  need  Welsh  runts, 
and  Highland  Galloways  to  climb  our  mountains  withal ;  they  are  used  to 
precipices,  and  will  bite  as  close  as  Banstead  Down  sheep.  But  I  should  much 
rather  recommend  mules,  if  we  had  them,  for  these  long  and  painful  expe- 
ditions ;  though,  till  they  can  be  bred,  certainly  asses  are  the  fittest  beasts  of 
burthen  for  the  mountains.  They  are  sure-footed,  patient  under  the  heaviest 
fatigue,  and  will  subsist  upon  moss,  or  browsing  on  shrubs  all  the  winter. 
One  of  them  will  carry  the  necessary  luggage  of  four  men,  without  any  dif- 
ficulty, and  upon  a  pinch  will  take  a  quarter  of  bear  or  venison  upon  their 
backs  into  the  bargain.  Thus,  when  the  men  are  light  and  disengaged  from 
everything  but  their,  guns,  they  may  go  the  whole  journey  on  foot  with 
pleasure.  And  though  my  dear  countrymen  have  so  great  a  passion  for 
riding,  that  they  will  often  walk  two  miles  to  catch  a  horse,  in  order  to  ride 
one,  yet,  if  they  will  please  to  take  my  word  for  it,  when  they  go  into  the 
woods  upon  discovery,  1  would  advise  them  by  all  means  to  march  a-foot, 
for  they  will  then  be  delivered  from  the  great  care  and  concern  for  their 
horses,  which  takes  up  too  large  a  portion  of  their  time.  Over  night  we  are 
now  at  the  trouble  of  hobbling  them  out,  and  often  of  leading  them  a  mile  or 
two  to  a  convenient  place  for  forage,  and  then  in  the  morning  we  are  some 
hours  in  finding  them  again,  because  they  are  apt  to  stray  a  great  way  from 
the  place  where  they  were  turned  out.  Now  and  then,  too,  they  are  lost  for 
a  whole  day  together,  and  are  frequently  so  weak  and  jaded,  that  the  com- 
pany must  lie  still  several  days,  near  some  meadow,  or  highland  pond,  to 


I 


72  THE  HISTORY  OF 

recruit  them.  All  these  delays  retard  their  progress  intolerably ;  whereas,  if 
they  had  only  a  few  asses,  they  would  abide  close  to  the  camp,  and  find  suf- 
ficient food  every  where,  and  in  all  seasons  of  the  year.  Men  would  then 
be  able  to  travel  safely  over  hills  and  dales,  nor  would  the  steepest  mountains 
obstruct  their  progress.  They  might  also  search  more'  narrowly  for  mines  and 
other  productions  of  nature,  without  being  confined  to  level  grounds,  in  com- 
pliment to  the  jades  they  ride  on.  And  one  may  foretell,  without  the  spirit 
of  divination,  that  so  long  as  woodsmen  continue  to  range  on  horse-back, 
we  shall  be  strangers  to  our  own  country,  and  few  or  no  valuable  discoveries 
will  ever  be  made:  The  French  couriers  de  bois,  who  have  run  from  one 
end  of  the  continent  to  the  other,  have  performed  it  all  on  foot,  or  else  in  all 
probability  must  have  continued  full  as  ignorant  as  we  are.  Our  country 
has  now  been  inhabited  more  than  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  by  the 
English,  and  still  we  hardly  know  any  thing  of  the  Appalachian  mountains, 
that  are  no  where  above  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the  sea.  Where- 
as the  French,  who  are  later  comers,  have  ranged  from  Quebec  southward 
as  far  as  the  mouth  of  Mississippi,  in  the  bay  of  Mexico,  and  to  the  west  al- 
most as  far  as  California,  which  is  either  way  above  two  thousand  miles. 

3d.  A  north-west  wind  having  cleared  the  sky,  we  were  now  tempted  to 
travel  on  a  Sunday,  for  the  first  time,  for  want  of  more  plentiful  forage, 
though  some  of  the  more  scrupulous  amongst  us  were  unwilling  to  do  evil, 
that  good  might  come  of  it,  and  make  our  cattle  work  a  good  part  of  the 
day  in  order  to  fill  their  bellies  at  night.  However,  the  chaplain  put  on  his 
casuistical  face,  and  offered  to  take  the  sin  upon  himself.  We  therefore  con- 
sented to  move  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  of  three  or  tour  miles,  it  appearing 
to  be  a  matter  of  some  necessity.  On  the  way  our  unmerciful  Indian  killed 
no  less  than  two  brace  of  deer  and  a  large  bear.  We  only  primed  the  deer, 
being  unwilling  to  be  encumbered  with  their  whole  carcasses.  The  rest  we 
consigned  to  the  wolves,  which  in  return  serenaded  us  great  part  of  the 
night.  They  are  very  clamorous  in  their  banquets,  which  we  know  is  the 
way  some  other  brutes  have,  in  the  extravagance  of  their  jollity  and  spright- 
liness,  of  expressing  their  thanks  to  Providence. 

We  came  to  our  old  camp,  in  sight  of  the  river  Irvin,  whose  stream  was 
swelled  now  near  four  feet  with  the  rain  that  fell  the  day  before.  This  made 
it  impracticable  for  us  to  ford  it,  nor  could  we  guess  when  the  water  would  fall 
enough  to  let  us  go  over.  This  put  our  mathematical  professor,  who  should 
have  set  a  better  example,  into  the  vapours,  fearing  he  should  be  obliged  to 
take  up  his  winter  quarters  in  that  doleful  wilderness.  But  the  rest  were  not 
infected  with  his  want  of  faith,  but  preserved  a  firmness  of  mind  superior  to 
such  little  adverse  accidents.  They  trusted  that  the  same  good  Providence 
which  had  most  remarkably  prospered  them  hitherto,  would  continue  his 
goodness  and  conduct  them  safe  to  the  end  of  their  journey.  However,  we 
found  plainly  that  travelling  on  the  Sunday,  contrary  to  our  constant  rule, 
had  not  thriven  with  us  in  the  least.  We  were  not  gainers  of  any  distance 
by  it,  because  the  river  made  us  pay  two  days  for  violating  one.  Neverthe- 
less, by  making  this  reflection,  I  would  not  be  thought  so  rigid  an  observer 
of  the  sabbath  as  to  allow  of  no  work  at  all  to  be  done,  or  journeys  to  be 
taken  upon  it.  I  should  not  care  to  lie  still  and  be  knocked  on  the  head,  as  the 
Jews  were  heretofore  by  Antiochus,  because  I  believed  it  unlawful  to  stand  upon 
my  defence  on  this  good  day.  Nor  would  I  care,  like  a  certain  New  England 
magistrate,  to  order  a  man  to  the  whipping  post,  for  daring,  to  ride  for  a  mid- 
wife on  the  Lord's  day.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  for  doing  all  acts  of  necessi- 
ty, charity,  and  self-preservation,  upon  a  Sunday  as  well  as  other  days  of  the 
week.  But,  as  I  think  our  present  march  could  not  strictly  be  justified  by 
any  of  these  rules,  it  was  but  just  we  should  suffer  a  little  for  it.    I  never 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  73 

could  learn  that  the  Indians  set  apart  any  day  of  the  week  or  the  year  for 
the  service  of  God.  They  pray,  as  philosophers  eat,  only  when  they  have  a 
stomach,  without  having  any  set  time  for  it.  Indeed  these  idle  people  have 
very  little  occasion  for  a  sabbath  to  refresh  themselves  after  hard  labour,  be- 
cause very  few  of  them  ever  labour  at  all.  Like  the  wild  Irish,  they  would 
rather  want  than  work,  and  are  all  men  of  pleasure,  to  whom  every  day  is 
a  day  of  rest.  Indeed,  in  their  hunting,  they  will  take  a  little  pains;  but  this 
being  only  a  diversion,  their  spirits  are  rather  raised  than  depressed  by  it, 
and  therefore  need  at  most  but  a  night's  sleep  to  recruit  them. 

4th.  By  some  stakes  we  had  driven  into  the  river  yesterday,  we  perceived 
the  water  began  to  fall,  but  fell  so  slowly  that  we  found  we  must  have  pa- 
tience a  day  or  two  longer.  And  because  we  were  unwilling  to  lie  altoge- 
ther idle,  we  sent  back  some  of  the  men  to  bring  up  the  two  horses  that  tired 
the  Saturday  before.  They  were  found  near  the  place  where  we  had  left 
them,  but  seemed  too  sensible  of  their  liberty  to  come  to  us.  They  were 
found  standing  indeed,  but  as  motionless  as  the  equestrian  statue  at  Charing- 
Cross.  We  had  great  reason  to  apprehend  more  rain  by  the  clouds  that 
drove  over  our  heads.  The  boldest  amongst  us  were  not  without  some 
pangs  of  uneasiness  at  so  very  sullen  a  prospect.  However,  God  be  praised ! 
it  all  blew  over  in  a  few  hours.  If  much  rain  had  fallen,  we  resolved  to 
make  a  raft  and  bind  it  together  with  grape  vines,  to  ferry  ourselves  and 
baggage  over  the  river.  Though,  in  that  case,  we  expected  the  swiftness  of 
the  stream  would  have  carried  down  our  raft  a  long  way  before  we  could 
have  tugged  it  to  the  opposite  shore. 

One  of  the  young  fellows  we  had  sent  to  bring  up  the  tired  horses  enter- 
tained us  in  the  evening  with  a  remarkable  adventure  he  had  met  with  that 
day.  He  had  straggled,  it  seems,  from  his  company  in  a  mist,  and  made  a 
cub  of  a  year  old  betake  itself  to  a  tree.  While  he  was  new-priming  his 
piece,  with  intent  to  fetch  it  down,  the  old  gentlewoman  appeared,  and  per- 
ceiving her  heir  apparent  in  distress,  advanced  open-mouthed  to  his  relief. 
The  man  was  so  intent  upon  his  game,  that  she  had  approached  very  near  <— 
him  before  he  perceived  her.  But  finding  his  danger,  he  faced  about  upon 
the  enemy,  which  immediately  reared  upon  her  posteriors,  and  put  herself  in 
battle  array.  The  man,  admiring  at  the  bear's  assurance,  endeavoured  to  fire 
upon  her,  but  by  the  dampness  of  the  priming,  his  gun  did  not  go  off.  He 
cocked  it  a  second  time,  and  had  the  same  misfortune.  After  missing  fire 
twice,  he  had  the  folly  to  punch  the  beast  with  the  muzzle  of  his  piece ;  but 
mother  Bruin,  being  upon  her  guard,  seized  the  weapon  with  her  paws,  and 
by  main  strength  wrenched  it  out  of  the  fellow's  hands.  The  man  being 
thus  fairly  disarmed,  thought  himself  no  longer  a  match  for  the  enemy,  and 
therefore  retreated  as  fast  as  his  legs  could  carry  him.  The  brute  naturally 
grew  bolder  upon  the  flight  of  her  adversary,  and  pursued  him  with  all  her 
heavy  speed.  For  some  time  it  was  doubtful  whether  fear  made  one  run 
faster,  or  fury  the  other.  But  after  an  even  course  of  about  fifty  yards,  the 
man  had  the  mishap  to  stumble  over  a  stump,  and  fell  down  at  his  full  length. 
He  now  wouldhave  sold  his  life  a  penny-worth  ;  but  the  bear,  apprehending 
there  might  be  some  trick  in  the  fall,  instantly  halted,  and  looked  with  much  © 
attention  on  her  prostrate  foe.  In  the  mean  while,  the  man  had  with  great 
presence  of  mind  resolved  to  make  the  bear  believe  he  was  dead,  by  lying 
breathless  on  the  ground,  in  hopes  that  the  beast  would  be  too  generous  to 
kill  him  over  again.  To  carry  on  the  farce,  he  acted  the  corpse  for  some 
time  without  daring  to  raise  fiis  head,  to  see  how  near  the  monster  was  to 
him.  But  in  about  two  minutes,  to  his  unspeakable  comfort,  he  was  raised 
from  the  dead  by  the  barking  of  a  dog,  belonging  to  one  of  his  companions, 
who  came  seasonably  to  his  rescue,  and  drove  the  bear  from  pursuing  the 


74  THE  H1ST0KV  OF 

man  to  take  care  of  her  cub,  which  she  feared  might  now  fall  into  a  second 
distress. 

5th.  We  judged  the  waters  were  assuaged  this  morning  to  make  the  river 
fordable.  Therefore  about  ten  we  tried  the  experiment,  and  every  body  got 
over  safe,  except  one  man,  whose  horse  slipped  from  a  rock  as  he  forded  over, 
and  threw  him  into  the  river.  But  being  able  to  swim,  he  was  not  carried 
down  the  stream  very  far  before  he  recovered  the  north  shore.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  about  six  miles  we  passed  Cascade  creek,  and  three  miles  farther  we 
came  upon  the  banks  of  the  Dan,  which  we  crossed  with  much  difficulty,  by 
reason  the  water  was  risen  much  higher  than  when  we  forded  it  before. 
Here  the  same  unlucky  person  happened  to  be  ducked  a  second  time,  and 
was  a  second  time  saved  by  swimming.  My  own  horse  too  plunged  in  such 
a  manner  that  his  head  was  more  than  once  under  water,  but  with  much 
ado  recovered  his  feet,  though  he  made  so  low  an  obeisance,  that  the  water 
ran  fairly  over  my  saddle. 

We  continued  our  march  as  far  as  Lowland  creek,  where  we  took  up  our 
lodging,  for  the  benefit  of  the  canes  and  winter  grass  that  grew  upon  the  rich 
grounds  thereabouts.  On  our  way  thither  we  had  the  misfortune  to  drop 
another  horse,  though  he  carried  nothing  the  whole  day  but  his  saddle.  We 
showed  the  same  favour  to  most  of  our  horses,  for  fear,  if  we  did  not  do  it, 
we  should  in  a  little  time  be  turned  into  beasts  of  burthen  ourselves.  Custom 
had  now  made  travelling  on  foot  so  familiar,  that  we  were  able  to  walk  ten 
miles  with  pleasure.  This  we  could  do  in  our  boots,  notwithstanding  our 
way  lay  over  rough  woods  and  uneven  grounds.  Our  learning  to  walk  in 
heavy  boots  was  the  same  advantage  to  us  that  learning  to  dance  high 
dances  in  wooden  shoes  is  to  the  French,  it  made  us  most  exceedingly  nimble 
without  them.  The  Indians,  who  have  no  way  of  travelling  but  on  the  hoof, 
--,,  make  nothing  of  going  twenty -five  miles  a  day,  and  carrying  their  little  ne- 
/  cessaries  at  their  backs,  and  sometimes  a  stout  pack  of  skins  into  the  bargain. 
And  very  often  they  laugh  at  the  English,  who  cannot  stir  to  a  next  neigh- 
bour without  a  horse,  and  say  that  two  legs  are  too  much  for  such  lazy 
people,  who  cannot  visit  their  next  neighbour  without  six.  For  their  parts, 
they  were  utter  strangers  to  all  our  beasts  of  burthen  or  carriage,  before  the 
slothful  Europeans  came  amongst  them.  They  had  on  no  part  of  the 
American  continent,  or  in  any  of  the  islands,  either  horses  or  asses,  camels, 
dromedaries  or  elephants,  to  ease  the  legs  of  the  original  inhabitants,  or  to 
lighten  their  labour.  Indeed,  in  South  America,  and  particularly  in  Chili,  they 
have  a  useful  animal  called  "  paco."  This  creature  resembles  a  sheep  pretty 
much  ;  only  in  the  length  of  the  neck,  and  figure  of  the  head,  it  is  more  like  a 
camel.  It  is  very  near  as  high  as  the  ass,  and  the  Indians  there  make  use 
of  it  for  carrying  moderate  burthens.  The  fleece  that  grows  upon  it  is  very 
valuable  for  the  fineness,  length  and  glossiness  of  the  wool.  It  has  one  re- 
markable singularity,  that  the  hoofs  of  its  fore-feet  have  three  clefts,  and  those 
behind  no  more  than  one.  The  flesh  of  this  animal  is  something  drier  than 
our  mutton,  but  altogether  as  well  tasted.  When  it  is  angry,  it  has  no  way 
of  resenting  its  wrongs,  but  by  spitting  in  the  face  of  those  that  provoke  it : 
5  and  if  the  spawl  happen  to  light  on  the  bare  skin  of  any  person,  it  first  creates 
an  itching,  and  afterwards  a  scab,  if  no  remedy  be  applied.  The  way  to 
manage  these  pacos,  and  make  them  tractable,  is,  to  bore  a  hole  in  their  ears, 
through  which  they  put  a  rope,  and  then  guide  them  just  as  they  please. 
In  Chili,  they  wear  a  beautiful  kind  of  stuff,  with  thread  made  of  this  crea- 
ture's wool,  which  has  a  gloss  superior  to  any* camlet,  and  is  sold  very  dear 
in  that  country.  • 

6th.  The  difficulty  of  finding  the  horses  among  the  tall  canes  made  it  late 
before  we  decamped.   We  traversed  very  hilly  grounds,  but  to  make  amends 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  75 

it  was  pretty  clear  of  underwood.  We  avoided  crossing  the  Dan  twice  by 
taking  a  compass  round  the  bend  of  it.  There  was  no  passing  by  the  angle 
of  the  river  without  halting  a  moment  to  entertain  our  eyes  again  with  that 
charming  prospect.  When  that  pleasure  was  over  we  proceeded  to  Sable 
creek,  and  encamped  a  little  to  the  east  of  it.  The  river  thereabouts  had  a 
charming  effect,  its  banks  being  adorned  with  green  canes,  sixteen  feet  high, 
which  make  a  spring  all  the  year,  as  well  as  plenty  of  forage  all  the  winter. 
One  of  the  men  wounded  an  old  buck,  that  was  gray  with  years,  and  seemed 
by  the  reverend  marks  he  bore  upon  him,  to  confirm  the  current  opinion  of 
that  animal's  longevity.  The  smart  of  his  wounds  made  him  not  only  turn 
upon  the  dogs,  but  likewise  pursue  thenj  to  some  distance  with  great  fury. 
However  he  got  away  at  last,  though  by  the  blood  that  issued  from  his  wound 
he  could  not  run  far  before  he  fell,  and  without  doubt  made  a  comfortable 
repast  for  the  wolves.  Howrever  the  Indian  had  better  fortune,  and  supplied 
us  with  a  fat  doe,  and  a  young  bear  two  years  old.  At  that  age  they  are  in 
»^heir  prime,  and,  if  they  be  fat  withal,  they  are  a  morsel  for  a  cardinal. 

All  the  land  we  travelled  over  this  day,  and  the  day  before,  that  is  to  say 
from  the  river  Irvin  to  Sable  creek,  is  exceedingly  rich,  both  on  the  Virginia 
side  of  the  line,  and  that  of  Carolina.  Besides  whole  forests  of  canes,  that 
adorn  the  banks  of  the  river  and  creeks  threabouts,  the  fertility  of  the  soil 
throws  out  such  a  quantity  of  winter  grass,  that  horses  and  cattle  might 
keep  themselves  in  heart  all  the  cold  season  without  the  help  of  any  fodder. 
Nor  have  the  low  grounds  only  this  advantage,  but  likewise  the  higher  land, 
and  particularly  that  which  we  call  the  Highland  Pond,  which  is  two  miles 
broad,  and  of  a  length  unknown. 

I  question  not  but  there  are  thirty  thousand  acres  at  least,  lying  altogether, 
as  fertile  as  the  lands  were  said  to  be  about  Babylon,  which  yielded,  if 
Herodotus  tells  us  right,  an  increase  of  no  less  than  two  or  three  hundred  for 
one.  But  this  hath  the  advantage  of  being  a  higher,  and  consequently  a 
much  healthier,  situation  than  that.  So  that  a  colony  of  one  thousand  families 
might,  with  the  help  of  moderate  industry,  pass  their  time  very  happily  there. 
Besides  grazing  and  tillage,  which  would  abundantly  compensate  their  labour, 
they  might  plant  vineyards  upon  the  hills,  in  which  situation  the  richest  wines 
are  always  produced.  They  might  also  propagate  white  mulberry  trees, 
which  thrive  exceedingly  in  this  climate,  in  order  to  the  feeding  of  silk-worms, 
and  making  of  raw  silk.  They  might  too  produce  hemp,  flax  and  cotton, 
in  what  quantity  they  pleased,  not  only  for  their  own  use,  but  likewise  for  sale. 
Then  they  might  raise  very  plentiful  orchards,  of  both  peaches  and  apples, 
which  contribute  as  much  as  any  fruit  to  the  luxury  of  life.  There  is  no  soil 
or  climate  will  yield  better  rice  than  this,  which  is  a  grain  of  prodigious  in- 
crease, and  of  very  wholesome  nourishment.  In  short  every  thing  will  grow 
plentifully  here  to  supply  either  the  wants  or  wantonness  of  man.  Nor  can 
I  so  much  as  wish  that  the  more  tender  vegetables  might  grow  here,  such  as 
orange,  lemon,  and  olive  trees,  because  then  we  should  lose  the  much  greater 
benefit  of  the  brisk  north-west  winds,  which  purge  the  air,  and  sweep  away 
all  the  malignant  fevers,  which  hover  over  countries  that  are  always  warm. 
The  soil  would  also  want  the  advantages  of  frost,  and  snow,  which  by  their 
nitrous  particles  contribute  not  a  little  to  its  fertility.  Besides  the  inhabitants 
would  be  deprived  of  the  variety  and  sweet  vicissitude  of  the  season,  which 
is  much  more  delightful  than  one  dull  and  constant  succession  of  warm 
weather,  diversified  only  by  rain  and  sunshine.  There  is  also  another  con- 
venience, that  happens  to  this  'country  by  cold  weather — it  destroys  a  great 
number  of  snakes,  and  .other  venomous  reptiles,  and  troublesome  insects,  or 
at  least  lays  them  to  sleep  for  several  months,  which  otherwise  would  annoy 
us  the  whole  year  round,  and  multiply  beyond  all  enduring.   Though  oranges 


<^ 


73  THE  HISTORY  OF 

and  lemons  are  desirable  fruits,  and  useful  enough  in  many  cases,  yet,  when 
the  want  of  them  is  supplied  by  others  more  useful,  we  have  no  cause  to  com- 
plain. There  is  no  climate  that  produces  every  thing,  since  the  deluge 
wrenched  the  poles  of  the  world  out  of  their  place,  nor  is  it  fit  it  should  be  so, 
because  it  is  the  mutual  supply  one  country  receives  from  another,  which 
creates  a  mutual  traffic  and  intercourse  amongst  men.  And  in  truth,  were 
it  not  for  the  correspondence,  in  order  to  make  up  each  other's  wants,  the 
wars  betwixt  bordering  nations,  like  those  of  the  Indians  and  other  barba- 
rous people,  would  be  perpetual  and  irreconcileable.  As  to  olive  trees,  I 
know  by  experience  they  will  never  stand  the  sharpness  of  our  winters, 
but  their  place  may  be  supplied  by  the  plant  called  sessamun,  which  yields  an 
infinite  quantity  of  large  seed,  from  whence  a  sweet  oil  is  pressed,  that  is  very 
wholesome  and  in  use  amongst  the  people  of  Lesser  Asia.  Likewise  it  is  used 
in  Egypt,  preferably  to  oil  olive,  being  not  so  apt  to  make  those  that  eat  it 
constantly  break  out  into  scabs,  as  they  do  in  many  parts  of  Italy.  This  would 
grow  very  kindly  here,  and  has  already  been  planted  with  good  success  in 
..North  Carolina,  by  way  of  experiment. 

7th.  After  crossing  the  Dan,  we  made  a  march  of  eight  miles,  over  hills 
and  dales  as  far  as  the  next  ford  of  that  river.  And  now  we  were  by  prac- 
tice become  such  very  able  footmen,  that  we  easily  outwalked  our  horses, 
and  could  have  marched  much  farther,  had  it  not  been  in  pity  to  their  weak- 
ness. Besides  here  was  plenty  of  canes,  which  was  reason  enough  to  make 
us  shorten  our  journey.  Our  gunners  did  great  execution  as  they  went 
along,  killing  no  less  than  two  brace  of  deer,  and  as  many  wild  turkeys. 
Though  practice  will  soon  make  a  man  of  tolerable  vigour  an  able  footman, 
yet,  as  a  help  to  bear  fatigue  I  used  to  chew  a  root  of  ginseng  as  I  walked 
along.  This  kept  up  my  spirits,  and  made  me  trip  away  as  nimbly  in  my  half 
jack-boots  as  younger  men  could  do  in  their  shoes.  This  plant  is  in  high  es- 
teem in  China,  where  it  sells  for  its  weight  in  silver.  Indeed  it  does  not  grow 
there,  but  in  the  mountains  of  Tartary,  to  which  place  the  emperor  of  China 
sends  ten  thousand  men  every  year  on  purpose  to  gather  it.  But  it  grows  so 
scattering  there,  that  even  so  many  hands  can  bring  home  no  great  quantity. 
Indeed  it  is  a  vegetable  of  so  many  virtues,  that  Providence  has  planted  it  very 
thin  in  every  country  that  has  the  happiness  to  produce  it.  Nor  indeed  is  man- 
kind worthy  of  so  great  a  blessing,  since  health  and  long  life  are  commonly 
abused  to  ill  purposes.  This  noble  plant  grows  likewise  at  the  cape  of  Good 
Hope,  where  it  is  called  kanna,  and  is  in  wonderful  esteem  among  the  Hotten- 
tots. It  grows  also  on  the  northern  continent  of  America,  near  the  mountains, 
but  as  sparingly  as  truth  and  public  spirit.  It  answers  exactly  both  to  the  figure 
and  virtues  of  that  which  grows  in  Tartary,  so  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its 
being  the  same.  Its  virtues  are,  that  it  gives  an  uncommon  warmth  and 
vigour  to  the  blood,  and  frisks  the  spirits,  beyond  any  other  cordial.  It  cheers 
the  heart  even  of  a  man  that  has  a  bad  wife,  and  makes  him  look  down  with 
great  composure  on  the  crosses  of  the  world.  It  promotes  insensible  per- 
spiration, dissolves  all  phlegmatic  and  viscous  humours,  that  are  apt  to  obstruct 
the  narrow  channels  of  the  nerves.  It  helps  the  memory,  and  would  quick- 
en even  Helvetian  dulness.  It  is  friendly  to  the  lungs,  much  more  than  scold- 
ing itself.  It  comforts  the  stomach,  and  strengthens  the  bowels,  preventing 
all  colics  and  fluxes.  In  one  word,  it  will  make  a  man  live  a  great  while, 
and  very  well  while  he  does  live.  And  what  is  more,  it  will  even  make  old 
age  amiable,  by  rendering  it  lively,  cheerful,  and  good-humoured.  However 
it  is  of  little  use  in  the  feats  of  love,  as  a  great  prince  once  found,  who  hear- 
ing of  its  invigorating  quality,  sent  as  far  as  China  for  some  of  it,  though  his 
ladies  could  not  boast  of  any  advantage  thereby. 

We  gave  the  Indian  the  skins  of  all  the  deer  that  he  shot  himself,  and  the 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  77 

men  the  skins  of  what  they  killed.  And  every  evening  after  the  fires  were 
made,  they  stretched  them  very  tight  upon  sticks,  and  dried  them.  This,  by 
a  nocturnal  fire,  appeared  at  first  a  very  odd  spectacle,  every  thing  being 
dark  and  gloomy  round  about.  After  they  are  dried  in  this  manner  they 
may  be  folded  up  without  damage,  till  they  come  to  be  dressed  according  to 
art.  The  Indians  dress  them  with  deer's  brains,  and  so  do  the  English  here  by 
their  example.  For  expedition's  sake  they  often  stretch  their  skins  over 
smoke  in  order  to  dry  them,  which  makes  them  smell  so  disagreeably  that  a 
rat  must  have  a  good  stomach  to  gnaw  them  in  that  condition ;  nay,  it  is  said, 
while  that  perfume  continues  in  a  pair  of  leather  breeches,  the  person  that 
wears  them  will  be  in  no  danger  of  that  villanous  little  insect  the  French  call 
morpion.  And  now  I  am  upon  the  subject  of  insects,  it  may  not  be  improper 
to  mention  some  few  remedies  against  those  that  are  most  vexatious  in  this 
climate.  There  are  two  sorts  without  doors,  that  are  great  nuisances,  the 
ticks,  and  the  horse  flies.  The  ticks  are  either  deer-ticks,  or  those  that  annoy 
the  cattle.  The  first  kind  are  long,  and  take  a  very  strong  gripe,  being  most 
in  remote  woods,  above  the  inhabitants.  The  other  are  round,  and  more 
gently  insinuate  themselves  into  the  flesh,  being  in  all  places  where  cattle  are 
frequent.  Both  these  sorts  are  apt  to  be  troublesome  during  the  warm  season, 
but  have  such  an  aversion  to  pennyroyal,  that  they  will  attack  no  part  that 
is  rubbed  with  the  juice  of  that  fragrant  vegetable.  And  a  strong  decoction 
of  this  is  likewise  the  most  effectual  remedy  against  seed-ticks,  which  bury 
themselves  in  your  legs,  when  they  are  so  small  you  can  hardly  discern  them 
without  a  microscope. 

The  horse  flies  are  not  only  a  great  grievance  to  horses,  but  likewise  to 
those  that  ride  them.  These  little  vixens  confine  themselves  chiefly  to  the 
woods,  and  are  most  in  moist  places.  Though  this  insect  be  no  bigger  than 
an  ordinary  fly,  it  bites  very  smartly,  darting  its  little  proboscis  into  the  skin 
the  instant  it  lights  upon  it.  These  are  offensive  only  in  the  hot  months,  and 
in  the  day  time,  when  they  are  a  great  nuisance  to  travellers  ;  insomuch  that 
it  is  no  wonder  they  were  formerly  employed  for  one  of  the  plagues  of  Egypt. 
But  dittany,  which  is  to  be  had  in  the  woods  all  the  while  those  insects 
remain  in  vigor,  is  a  sure  defence  against  them.  For  this  purpose,  if  you 
stick  a  bunch  of  it  on  the  head-stall  of  your  bridle,  they  will  be  sure  to  keep 
a  respectful  distance.  Thus,  in  what  part  of  the  woods  soever  any  thing  v 
mischievous  or  troublesome  is  found,  kind  Providence  is  sure  to  provide  a 
remedy.  And  it  is  probably  one  great  reason  why  God  was  pleased  to  create 
these,  and  many  other  vexatious  animals,  that  men  should  exercise  their 
wits  and  industry,  to  guard  themselves  against  them.  Bears'  oil  is  used  by 
the  Indians  as  a  general  defence  against  every  species  of  vermin.  Among 
the  rest,  they  say  it  keeps  both  bugs  and  mosquitoes  from  assaulting  their 
persons,  which  would  otherwise  devour  such  uncleanly  people.  Yet  bears' 
grease  has  no  strong  smell,  as  that  plant  had  which  the  Egyptians  formerly 
used  against  mosquitoes,  resembling  our  palma  Christi,  the  juice  of  which 
smelled  so  disagreeably,  that  the  remedy  was  worse  than  the  disease. 
Against  mosquitoes,  in  Egypt,  the  richer  sort  used  to  build  lofty  towers,  with 
bed-chambers  in  the  tops  of  them,  that  they  might  rest  undisturbed.  It  is 
certain  that  these  insects  are  no  high  fliers,  because  their  wings  are  weak 
and  their  bodies  so  light,  that  if  they  mount  never  so  little,  the  wind  blows 
them  quite  away  from  their  course,  and  they  become  an  easy  prey  to  the 
martins,  East  India  bats,  and  other  birds  that  fly  about  in  continual  quest  of 
them. 

8th.  As  we  had  twice  more  to  cross  the  Dan  over  two  fords,  that  lay  no 
more  than  seven  miles  from  each  other,  we  judged  the  distance  would  not  be 
much  greater  to  go  round  the  bend  of  it.     According! y  we  sent  the  Indian 

L 


78 


THE  HISTORY  OF 


and  two  white  men  that  way,  who  came  up  with  us  in  the  evening,  after 
fetching  a  compass  of  about  twelve  miles.  They  told  us  that,  about  a  mile 
from  our  last  camp,  they  passed  a  creek  fortified  with  steep  cliffs,  which  there- 
fore gained  the  name  of  Cliff  creek.  Near  three  miles  beyond  that  they 
forded  a  second  creek,  on  the  margin  of  which  grew  abundance  of  tall  canes 
and  this  was  called  Hix's  creek,  from  one  of  the  discoverers.  Between  these 
two  creeks  lies  a  level  of  exceeding  rich  land,  full  of  large  trees,  and  covered 
with  black  mould,  as  fruitful,  if  we  believe  them,  as  that  which  is  yearly  over- 
flowed by  the  Nile.  We  who  marched  the  nearest  way  upon  the  line  found  the 
ground  rising  and  falling  between  the  two  fords  of  the  Dan,  which  almost 
broke  our  own  wind,  and  the  hearts  of  our  jaded  palfreys.  When  we  had 
passed  the  last  ford,  it  was  a  sensible  joy  to  find  ourselves  safe  over  all  the 
waters  that  might  cut  off  our  retreat.  •  And  we  had  the  greater  reason  to  be 
thankful,  because  so  late  in  the  year  it  was  very  unusual  to  find  the  rivers 
so  fordable.  We  caught  a  large  terrapin  in  the  river,  which  is  one  kind  of  turtle. 
The  flesh  of  it  is  wholesome,  and  good  for  consumptive  people.  It  lays  a 
great  number  of  eggs,  not  larger  but  rounder  than  those  of  pigeons.  These 
are  soft,  but  withal  so  tough  that  it  is  difficult  to  break  them,  yet  are  very 
sweet  and  invigorating,  so  that  some  wives  recommend  them  earnestly^ 
their  husbands.  One  of  the  men,  by  an  overstrain,  had  unhappily  got  a 
running  of  the  reins,  for  which  I  gave  him  every  morning  a  little  sweet  gum 
dissolved  in  water,  with  good  success.  This  gum  distils  from  a  large  tree, 
called  the  sweet-gum  tree,  very  common  in  Virginia,  and  is  as  healing  in  its 
virtue  as  balm  of  Gilead,  or  the  balsams  of  Tolu  and  of  Peru.  It  is  likewise 
a  most  agreeable  perfume,  very  little  inferior  to  ambergris.  And  now  I 
have  mentioned  ambergris,  I  hope  it  will  not  be  thought  an  unprofitable  di- 
gression, to  give  a  faithful  account  how  it  is  produced,  in  order  to  reconcile 
the  various  opinions  concerning  it.  It  is  now  certainly  found  to  be  the  dung 
of  the  spermaceti  whale,  which  is  at  first  very  black  and  unsavoury.  But  after 
having  been  washed  for  some  months  in  the  sea,  and  blanched  in  the  sun, 
it  comes  at  length  to  be  of  a  gray  colour,  and  from  a  most  offensive  smell, 
contracts  the  finest  fragrancy  in  the  world.  Besides  the  fragrancy  of  this 
animal  substance,  it  is  a  very  rich  and  innocent  cordial,  which  raises  the 
spirits  without  stupifying  them  afterwards,  like  opium,  or  intoxicating  them 
like  wine.  The  animal  spirits  are  amazingly  refreshed  by  this  cordial,  with- 
out the  danger  of  any  ill  consequence,  and  if  husbands  were  now  and  then 
to  dissolve  a  little  of  it  in  their  broth,  their  consorts  might  be  the  better  for 
it,  as  well  as  themselves.  In  the  Bahama  islands  (where  a  great  quantity  is 
found,  by  reason  the  spermaceti  whales  resort  thither  continually,)  it  is 
used  as  an  antidote  against  the  venomous  fish  which  abound  therea- 
bouts, wherewith  the  people  are  apt  to  poison  themselves.  We  are  not  only 
obliged  to  that  whale  for  this  rich  perfume,  but  also  for  the  spermaceti  itself, 
which  is  the  fat  of  that  fish's  head  boiled  and  purged  from  all  its  impurities. 
What  remains  is  of  a  balsamic  and  detersive  quality,  very  friendly  to  the 
lungs,  and  useful  in  many  other  cases. 

The  Indian  had  killed  a  fat  doe  in  the  compass  he  took  round  the  elbow  of 
the  river,  but  was  content  to  prime  it  only,  by  reason  it  was  too  far  off  to  lug 
the  whole  carcass  upon  his  back.  This,  and  a  brace  of  wild  turkeys  which 
our  men  had  shot,  made  up  all  our  bill  of  fare  this  evening,  but  could  only 
afford  a  philosophical  meal  to  so  many  craving  stomachs.  The  horses  were 
now  so  lean  that  any  thing  would  gall  those  that  carried  the  least  burthen ; 
no  wonder  then  if  several  of  them  had  sore  backs,  especially  now  the  pads  of 
the  saddles  and  packs  were  pressed  fiat  with  long  and  constant  use.  This 
would  have  been  another  misfortune,  had  we  not  been  provided  with  an  easy 
remedy  for  it.    One  of  the  commissioners,  believing  that  such  accidents  might 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  79 

happen  in  a  far  journey,  had  furnished  himself  with  plasters  of  strong  glue 
spread  pretty  thick.  We  laid  on.  these,  after  making  them  running  hot, 
which,  sticking  fast,  never  fell  off  till  the  sore  was  perfectly  healed.  In  the 
mean  time  it  defended  the  part  so  well,  that  the  saddle  might  bear  upon  it 
without  danger  of  further  injury. 

9th.  We  reckoned  ourselves  now  pretty  well  out  of  the  latitude  of  bears,  to 
the  great  grief  of  most  of  the  company.  There  was  still  mast  enough  left  in  the 
woods  to  keep  the  bears  from  drawing  so  near  to  the  inhabitants.  They  like  not 
the  neighbourhood  of  merciless  man,  till  famine  compels  them  to  it.  They  are 
all  black  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  so  is  their  dung,  but  it  will  make  linen 
white,  being  tolerably  good  soap,  without  any  preparation  but  only  drying. 
These  bears  are  of  a  moderate  size,  whereas  within  the  polar  circles  they  are 
white,  and  much  larger.  Those  of  the  southern  parts  of  Muscovy  are  of  a 
russet  colour,  but  among  the  Samoeids,  as  well  as  in  Greenland  and  Nova- 
Zembla,  they  are  as  white  as  the  snow  they  converse  with,  and  by  some 
accounts  are  as  large  as  a  moderate  ox.  The  excessive  cold  of  that  climate 
sets  their  appetites  so  sharp,  that  they  will  attack  a  man  without  ceremony, 
and  even  climb  up  a  ship's  side  to  come  at  him.  They  range  about  and  are 
very  mischievous  all  the  time  the  sun  is  above  the  horizon,  which  is  something 
more  than  five  months  ;  but  after  the  sun  is  set  for  the  rest  of  the  year,  they 
retire  into  holes,  or  bury  themselves  under  the  snow,  and  sleep  away  the 
dark  season  without  any  sustenance  at  all.  It  js  pity  our  beggars  and  pick- 
pockets could  not  do  the  same. 

Our  journey  this  day  was  above  twelve  miles,  and  more  than  half  the  way 
terribly  hampered  with  bushes.  We  tired  another  horse,  which  we  were 
obliged  to  leave  two  miles  short  of  where  we  encamped,  and  indeed  several 
others  were  upon  the  careen  almost  every  step.  Now  we  wanted  one  of 
those  celebrated  musicians  of  antiquity,  who,  they  tell  us,  among  many  other 
wonders  of  their  art,  could  play  an  air  which,  by  its  animating  briskness, 
would  make  a  jaded  horse  caper  and  curvet  much  better  than  any  whip,  spur, 
or  even  than  swearing.  Though  I  fear  our  poor  beasts  were  so  harassed  that 
it  would  have  been  beyond  the  skill  of  Orpheus  himself  so  much  as  to  make 
them  prick  up  their  ears.  For  proof  of  the  marvellous  power  of  music 
among  the  ancients,  some  historians  say,  that  one  of  those  skilful  masters 
took  upon  him  to  make  the  great  Alexander  start  up  from  his  seat,  and  handle 
his  javelin,  whether  he  would  or  not,  by  the  force  of  a  sprightly  tune,  which 
he  knew  how  to  play  to  him.  The  king  ordered  the  man  to  bring  his  instru- 
ment, and  then  fixing  himself  firmly  in  his  chair,  and  determining  not  to  stir, 
he  bade  him  strike  up  as  soon  as  he  pleased.  The  musician  obeyed,  and  pre- 
sently roused  the  hero's  spirits  with  such  warlike  notes,  that  he  was  constrain- 
ed, in  spite  of  all  his  resolution,  to  spring  up  and  fly  to  his  javelin  with  great 
martial  fury.  We  can  the  easier  credit  these  profane  stories  by  what  we 
find  recorded  in  the  oracles  of  truth,  where  we  are  told  the  wonders  David 
performed  by  sweetly  touching  his  harp.  He  made  nothing  of  driving  the 
evil  spirit  out  of  Saul,  though  a  certain  rabbi  assures  us  he  could  not  do  so 
much  by  his  wife,  Michal,  when  she  happened  to  be  in  her  airs.  The  great- 
est instance  we  have  of  the  power  of  modern  music  is  that  which  cures 
those  who  in  Italy  are  bitten  by  the  little  spider  called  the  tarantula.  The 
whole  method  of  which  is  performed  in  the  following  manner.  In  Apulia 
it  is  a  common  misfortune  for  people  to  be  bitten  by  the  tarantula,  and  most 
about  Taranto  and  Gallipoli.  This  is  a  gray  spider,  not  very  large,  with  a 
narrow  streak  of  white  along  the  back.  It  is  no  wonder  there  are  many  of 
these  villanous  insects,  because,  by  a  ridiculous  superstition  it  is  accounted 
great  inhumanity  to  kill  them.  They  believe,  it  seems,  that  if  the  spider  come 
to  a  violent  death,  all  those  who  had  been  bitten  by  it  will  certainly  have  a 


g0  THE  HISTORY  OF 

return  of  their  frenzy  every  year  as  long  as  they  live.  But  if  it  die  a  natural 
death,  the  patient  will  have  a  chance  to  recover  in  two  or  three  years.  The 
bite  of  the  tarantula  gives  no  more  pain  than  the  bite  of  a  mosquito,  and 
makes  little  or  no  inflammation  on  the  part,  especially  when  the  disaster  hap- 
pens in  April  or  May ;  but,  its  venom  increasing  with  the  heat  of  the  season, 
has  more  fatal  consequences  in  July  and  August.  The  persons  who  are  so 
unhappy  as  to  be  bitten  in  those  warm  months,  fall  down  on  the  place  in  a  few 
minutes,  and  lie  senseless  for  a  considerable  time,  and  when  they  come  to 
themselves  feel  horrible  pains,  are  very  sick  at  their  stomachs,  and  in  a  short 
time  break  out  into  foul  sores ;  Jput  those  who  are  bitten  in  the  milder  months 
have  much  gentler  symptoms.  They  are  longer  before  the  distemper  shows 
itself,  and  then  they  have  a  small  disorder  in  their  senses,  are  a  little  sick,  and 
perhaps  have  some  moderate  breakings-out.  However,  in  both  cases,  the 
patient  keeps  upon  the  bed,  not  caring  to  stir,  till  he  is  roused  by  a  tune, 
proper  for  his  particular  case.  Therefore,  as  soon  as  the  symptoms  disco- 
ver themselves,  a  tarantula  doctor  is  sent  for,  who,  after  viewing  carefully 
the  condition  of  the  person,  first  tries  one  tune  and  then  another,  until  he  is 
so  fortunate  as  to  hit  the  phrenetic  turn  of  the  patient.  No  sooner  does  this 
happen  but  he  begins  to  wag  a  finger,  then  a  hand,  and  afterwards  a  foot,  till 
at  last  he  springs  up  and  dances  round  the  room,  with  a  surprising  agility, 
rolling  his  eyes  and  looking  wild  the  whole  time.  This  dancing-fit  lasts  com- 
monly about  twenty-five  minutes,  by  which  time  he  will  be  all  in  a  lather. 
Then  he  sits  down,  falls  a  laughing,  and  returns  to  his  senses.  So  plentiful  a 
perspiration  discharges  so  much  of  the  venom  as  will  keep  off  the  return  of 
the  distemper  for  a  whole  year.  Then  it  will  visit  him  again,  and  must  be 
removed  in  the  same  merry  manner.  But  three  dancing  bouts  will  do  the 
business,  unless,  peradventure,  the  spider,  according  to  the  vulgar  notion,  has 
been  put  to  a  violent  death.  The  tunes  played  to  expel  this  whimsical  dis- 
order, are  of  the  jig  kind,  and  exceed  not  fifteen  in  number.  The  Apulians 
are  frequently  dancing  off  the  effects  of  this  poison,  and  no  remedy  is  more 
commonly  applied  to  any  other  distemper  elsewhere,  than  those  sprightly 
tunes  are  to  the  bite  of  the  tarantula  in  that  part  of  Italy.  It  is  remarkable 
that  these  spiders  have  a  greater  spite  to  the  natives  of  the  place  than  they 
have  to  strangers,  and  women  are  oftener  bitten  than  men.  Though  there  may 
be  a  reason  for  the  last,  because  women  are  more  confined  to  the  house, 
where  these  spiders  keep,  and  their  coats  make  them  liable  to  attacks  un- 
seen, whereas  the  men  can  more  easily  discover,  and  brush  them  off  their 
legs.  Nevertheless,  both  sexes  are  cured  the  same  way,  and  thereby  show 
the  wonderful  effects  of  music. 

Considering  how  far  we  had  walked,  and  consequently  how  hungry  we 
were,  we  found  but  short  commons  when  we  came  to  our  quarters.  One 
brace  of  turkeys  was  all  the  game  we  could  meet  with,  which  almost  needed 
a  miracle  to  enable  them  to  suffice  so  many  voracious  appetites.  However, 
they  just  made  a  shift  to  keep  famine,  and  consequently  mutiny,  out  of  the 
camp.  At  night  we  lodged  upon  the  banks  of  Buffalo  creek,  where  none  of 
us  could  complain  of  loss  of  rest,  for  having  eaten  too  heavy  and  luxurious 
a  supper. 

10th.  In  a  dearth  of  provisions  our  chaplain  pronounced  it  lawful  to  make 
bold  with  the  sabbath,  and  send  a  party  out  a-hunting.  They  fired  the  dry 
leaves  in  a  ring  of  five  miles'  circumference,  which,  burning  inwards,  drove 
all  the  game  to  the  centre,  where  they  were  easily  killed.  It  is  really  a  pitiful 
sight  to  see  the  extreme  distress  the  poor  deer  are  in,  when  they  find  them- 
selves surrounded  with  this  circle  of  fire ;  they  weep  and  groan  like  a  human 
creature,  yet  cannot  move  the  compassion  of  those  hard-hearted  people, 
who  are  about  to  murder  them.     This  unmerciful  sport  is  called  fire  hunting, 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  81 

and  is  much  practised  by  the  Indians  and  frontier  inhabitants,  who  some- 
times, in  the  eagerness  of  their  diversion,  are  punished  for  their  cruelty,  and 
are  hurt  by  one  another  when  they  shoot  across  at  the  deer  which  are  in  the 
middle.  What  the  Indians  do  now  by  a  circle  of  fire,  the  ancient  Persians 
performed  formerly  by  a  circle  of  men :  and  the  same  is  practised  at  this 
day  in  Germany  upon  extraordinary  occasions,  when  any  of  the  princes  of 
the  empire  have  a  mind  to  make  a  general  hunt,  as  they  call  it.  At  such 
times  they  order  a  vast  number  of  people  to  surround  a  whole  territory. 
Then  marching  inwards  in  close  order,  they  at  last  ^brce  all  the  wild  beasts 
into  a  narrow  compass,  that  the  prince  and  his  company  may  have  the  di- 
version of  slaughtering  as  many  as  they  please  with  their  own  hands.  Our 
hunters  massacred  two  brace  of  deer  after  this  unfair  way,  of  which  they 
brought  us  one  brace  whole,  and  only  the  primings  of  the  rest. 

So  many  were  absent  on  this  occasion,  that  we  who  remained  excused 
the  chaplain  from  the  trouble  of  spending  his  spirits  by  preaching  to  so  thin 
a  congregation.  One  of  the  men,  who  had  been  an  old  Indian  trader,  brought 
me  a  stem  of  silk  grass,  which  was  about  as  big  as  my  little  finger.  But, 
being  so  late  in  the  year  that  the  leaf  was  fallen  off,  I  am  not  able  to  describe 
the  plant.  The  Indians  use  it  in  all  their  little  manufactures,  twisting  a 
thread  of  it  that  is  prodigiously  strong.  Of  this  they  make  their  baskets 
and  the  aprons  which  their  women  wear  about  their  middles,  for  decency's 
sake.  These  are  long  enough  to  wrap  quite  round  them  and  reach  down  to 
their  knees,  with  a  fringe  on  the  under  part  by  way  of  ornament.  They  put 
on  this  modest  covering  with  so  much  art,  that  the  most  impertinent  curiosity 
cannot  in  the  negligentest  of  their  motions  or  postures  make  the  least  dis- 
covery. As  this  species  of  silk  grass  is  much  stronger  than  hemp,  I  make 
no  doubt  but  sail  cloth  and  cordage  might  be  made  of  it  with  considerable 
improvement. 

11th.  We  had  all  been  so  refreshed  by  our  day  of  rest,  that  we  decamped 
earlier  than  ordinary,  and  passed  the  several  fords  of  Hico  river.  The 
woods  were  thick  great  part  of  this  day's  journey,  so  that  we  were  forced  to 
scuffle  hard  to  advance  seven  miles,  being  equal  in  fatigue  to  double  that 
distance  of  clear  and  open  grounds.  We  took  up  our  quarters  upon  Sugar- 
tree  creek,  in  the  same  camp  we  had  lain  in  when  we  came  up,  and  happened 
to  be  entertained  at  supper  with  a  rarity  we  had  never  had  the  fortune  to 
meet  with  before,  during  the  whole  expedition.  A  little  wide  of  this  creek, 
one  of  the  men  had  the  luck  to  meet  with  a  young  buffalo  of  two  years  old.  ^ 
It  was  a  bull,  which,  notwithstanding  he  was  no  older,  was  as  big  as  an  ordi- 
nary ox.  His  legs  were  very  thick  and  very  short,  and  his  hoofs  exceeding 
broad.  His  back  rose  into  a  kind  of  bunch  a  little  above  the  shoulders, 
which  I  believe  contributes  not  a  little  to  that  creature's  enormous  strength. 
His  body  is  vastly  deep  from  the  shoulders  to  the  brisket,  sometimes  six  feet 
in  those  that  are  full  grown.  The  portly  figure  of  this  animal  is  disgraced 
by  a  shabby  little  tail,  not  above  twelve  inches  long.  This  he  cocks  up  on 
end  whenever  he  is  in  a  passion,  and,  instead  of  lowing  or  bellowing,  grunts 
with  no  better  grace  than  a  hog.  The  hair  growing  on  his  head  and  neck  is 
long  and  shagged,  and  so  soft  that  it  will  spin  into  thread  not  unlike  mohair, 
which  might  be*  wove  into  a  sort  of  camlet:  Some  people  have  stockings 
knit  of  it,  that  would  have  served  an  Israelite  during  his  forty  years'  march 
through  the  wilderness.  Its  horns  are  short  and  strong,  of  which  the  Indians 
make  large  spoons,  which  they  say  will  split  and  fall  to  pieces  whenever  poi- 
son is  put  into  them.  Its  colour  is  a  dirty  brown,  and  its  hide  so  thick  that 
it  is  scarce  penetrable.  However,  it  makes  very  spongy  sole  leather  by  the 
ordinary  method  of  tanning,  though  this  fault  might  by  good  contrivance  be 
mended.    As  thick  as  this  poor  beast's  hide  was,  a  bullet  made  shift  to  enter 


g2  THE  HISTORY  OF 

it  and  fetch  him  down.  It  was  found  all  alone,  though  buffaloes  seldom  are. 
They  usually  range  about  in  herds,  like  other  cattle,  and,  though  they  differ 
something  in  figure,  are  certainly  of  the  same  species.  -There  are  two  rea- 
sons for  this  opinion :  the  flesh  of  both  has  exactly  the  same  taste,  and  the 
mixed  breed  betwixt  both,  they  say,  will  generate.  All  the  difference  I  could 
perceive  between  the  flesh  of  buffalo  and  common  beef  was,  that  the  flesh  of 
the  first  was  much  yellower  than  that  of  the  other,  and  the  lean  something 
tougher.  The  men  were  so  delighted  with  this  new  diet,  that  the  gridiron 
and  frying-pan  had  nOjjpnore  rest  all  night,  than  a  poor  husband  subject  to 
curtain  lectures.  Buffaloes  may  be  easily  tamed  when  they  are  taken  young. 
The  best  way  to  catch  them  is  to  carry  a  milch  mare  into  the  woods,  and 
when  you  find  a  cow  and  calf,  to  kill  the  cow,  and  then  having  caught  the 
calf,  to  suckle  it  upon  the  mare.  After  once  or  twice  sucking  her,  it  will  fol- 
low her  home,  and  become  as  gentle  as  another  calf.  If  we  could  get  into  a 
breed  of  them,  they  might  be  made  very  useful,  not  only  for  the  dairy,  by 
giving  an  ocean  of  milk,  but  also  for  drawing  vast  and  cumbersome  weights 
by  their  prodigious  strength.  These,  with  the  other  advantages  I  mentioned 
before,  would  make  this  sort  of  cattle  more  profitable  to  the  owner,  than  any 
other  we  are  acquainted  with,  though  they  would  need  a  world  of  provender. 

12th.  Before  we  marched  this  morning,  every  man  took  care  to  pack  up 
some  buffalo  steaks  in  his  wallet,  besides  what  he  crammed  into  his  belly. 
When  provisions  were  plenty,  we  always  found  it  difficult  to  get  out  early, 
being  too  much  embarrassed  with  a  long-winded  breakfast.  However,  by 
the  strength  of  our  beef,  we  made  a  shift  to  walk  about  twelve  miles,  cross- 
ing Blue-wing  and  Tewaw-homini  creeks.  And  because  this  last  stream  re- 
ceived its  appellation  from  the  disaster  of  a  Tuscarora  Indian,  it  will  not  be 
straggling  much  out  of  the  way  to  say  something  of  that  particular  nation. 

These  Indians  were  heretofore  very  numerous  and  powerful,  making, 
within  time  of  memory,  at  least  a  thousand  fighting  men.  Their  habitation, 
before  the  war  with  Carolina,  was  on  the  north  branch  of  Neuse  river,  com- 
monly called  Connecta  creek,  in  a  pleasant  and  fruitful  country.  But  now  the 
few  that  are  left  of  that  nation  live  on  the  north  side  of  Moratuck,  which  is  all 
that  part  of  Roanoke  below  the  great  falls,  towards  Albemarle  sound.  Formerly 
there  were  seven  towns  of  these  savages,  lying  not  far  from  each  other,  but 
now  their  number  is  greatly  reduced.  The  trade  they  have  had  the  misfor- 
tune to  drive  with  the  English  has  furnished  them  constantly  with  rum, 
which  they  have  used  so  immoderately,  that,  what  with  the  distempers,  and 
what  with  the  quarrels  it  begat  amongst  them,  it  has  proved  a  double  de- 
struction. But  the  greatest  consumption  of  these  savages  happened  by  the 
war  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  on  account  of  some  injustice  the  inhabitants 
of  that  province  had  done  them  about  their  lands.  It  was  on  that  provocation 
they  resented  their  wrongs  a  little  too  severely  upon  Mr.  Lawson,  who,  under 
colour  of  being  surveyor  general,  had  encroached  too  much  upon  their  territo- 
ries, at  which  they  were  so  enraged,  that  they  waylaid  him,  and  cut  his  throat 
from  ear  to  ear,  but  at  the  same  time  released  the  baron  de  Graffenried,  whom 
they  had  seized  for  company,  because  it  appeared  plainly  he  had  done  them 
no  wrong.  This  blow  was  followed  by  some  other  bloody  actions  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians,  which  brought  on  the  war,  wherein  many  of  them  were  cut 
off,  and  many  were  obliged  to  flee  for  refuge  to  the  Seneeas,  so  that  now 
there  remain  so  few,  that  they  are  in  danger  of  being  quite  exterminated  by 
the  Catawbas,  their  mortal  enemies.  These  Indians  have  a  very  odd  tradition 
amongst  them,  that  many  years  ago,  their  nation  was  grown  so  dishonest, 
that  no  man  could  keep  any  of  his  goods,  or  so  much  as  his  loving  wife  to 
himself.  That,  however,  their  God,  being  unwilling  to  root  them  out  for  their 
crimes,  did  them  the  honour  to  send  a  messenger  from  heaven  to  instruct 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  83 

them,  and  set  them  a  perfect  example  of  integrity  and  kind  behavior  towards 
one  another.  But  this  holy  person,  with  all  his  eloquence  and  sanctity  of  life, 
was  able  to  make  very  little  reformation  amongst  them.  Some  few  old 
men  did  listen  a  little  to  his  wholesome  advice,  but  all  the  young  fellows  were 
quite  incorrigible.  They  not  only  neglected  his  precepts,  but  derided  and 
evil  entreated  his  person.  At  last,  taking  upon  him  to  reprove  some  young 
rakes  of  the  Conechta  clan  very  sharply  for  their  impiety,  they  were  so  pro- 
voked at  the  freedom  of  his  rebukes,  that  they  tied  him  to  a  tree,  and  shot 
him  with  arrows  through  the  heart.  But  their  God  took  instant  vengeance 
on  all  who  had  a  hand  in  that  monstrous  act,  by  lightning  from  heaven,  and 
has  ever  since  visited  their  nation  with  a  continued  train  of  calamities,  nor 
will  he  ever  leave  off  punishing,  and  wasting  their  people,  till  he  shall  have 
blotted  every  living  soul  of  them  out  of  the  world. 

Our  hunters  shot  nothing  this  whole  day  but  a  straggling  bear,  which  hap- 
pened to  fall  by  the  hand  of  the  very  person  who  had  been  lately  disarmed  and 
put  to  flight,  for  which  he  declared  war  against  the  whole  species. 

13th.  We  pursued  our  journey  with  all  diligence,  and  forded  Ohimpamony 
creek  about  noon,  and  from  thence  proceeded  to  Yapatsco,  which  we  could 
not  cross  without  difficulty.  The  beavers  had  dammed  up  the  water  much 
higher  than  we  found  it  at  our  going  up,  so  that  we  were  obliged  to  lay  a 
bridge  over  a  part  that  was  shallower  than  the  rest,  to  facilitate  our  passage. 
Beavers  have  more  of  instinct,  that  half-brother  of  reason,  than  any  other 
animal,  especially  in  matters  of  self-preservation.  In  their  houses  they  al- 
ways contrive  a  sally-port,  both  towards  the  land  and  towards  the  water,  that 
so  they  may  escape  by  one,  if  their  retreat  should  happen  to  be  cut  off  at  the 
other.  They  perform  all  their  works  in  the  dead  of  night,  to  avoid  discovery, 
and  are  kept  diligently  to  it  by  the  master  beaver,  which  by  his  age  or 
strength  has  gained  to  himself  an  authority  over  the  rest.  If  any  of  the  gang 
happen  to  be  lazy,  or  will  not  exert  himself  to  the  utmost  in  felling  of  trees, 
or  dragging  them  to  the  place  where  they  are  made  use  of,  this  superintend- 
ent will  not  fail  to  chastise  him  with  the  flat  of  the  tail,  wherewith  he  is  able 
to  give  unmerciful  strokes.  They  he  snug  in  their  houses  all  day,  unless  some 
unneighbourly  miller  chance  to  disturb  their  repose,  by  demolishing  their 
dams  for  supplying  his  mill  with  water.  It  is  rare  to  see  one  of  them,  and 
the  Indians  for  that  reason  have  hardly  any  way  to  take  them,  but  by  laying 
snares  near  the  place  where  they  dam  up  the  water.  But  the  English  hunters 
have  found  out  a  more  effectual  method,  by  using  the  following  receipt.  Take 
the  large  pride  of  the  beaver,  squeeze  all  the  juice  out  of  it,  then  take  the 
small  pride,  and  squeeze  out  about  five  or  six  drops.  Take  the  inside  of  sas- 
safras bark,  powder  it,  and  mix  it  with  the  liquor,  and  place  this  bait  conve- 
niently for  your  steel  trap.  The  story  of  their  biting  off  their  testicles  to 
compound  for  their  lives,  when  they  are  pursued,  is  a  story  taken  upon  trust 
by  Pliny,  like  many  others.  Nor  is  it  the  beavers'  testicles  that  carry  the  per- 
fume, but  they  have  a  pair  of  glands  just  within  the  fundament,  as  sweet  as 
musk,  that  perfume  their  dung,  and  communicate  a  strong  scent  to  their  testi- 
cles, by  being  placed  near  them.  It  is  true  several  creatures  have  strange  in- 
stincts for  their  preservation,  as  the  Egyptian  frog,  we  are  told  by  Elian,  will 
carry  a  whole  joint  of  a  reed  across  its  mouth,  that  it  may  not  be  swallowed 
by  the  ibis.  And  this  long-necked  fowl  will  give  itself  a  clyster  with  its  beak, 
whenever  it  finds  itself  too  costive  or  feverish.  The  dogs  of  that  country  lap  the 
water  of  the  Nile  in  a  full  trot,  that  they  may  not  be  snapped  by  the  crocodiles. 
Both  beavers  and  wolves,  we  know,  when  one  of  their  legs  is  caught  in  a 
steel  trap,  will  bite  it  off,  that  they  may  escape  with  the  rest.  The  flesh  of 
the  beavers  is  tough  and  dry,  all  but  the  tail,  which,  like  the  parrot's  tongue, 
was  one  of  the  far-fetched  rarities  with  which  Heliogabalus  used  to  furnish 


84  TH1^  HISTORY  OF 

his  luxurious  table.  The  fur  of  these  creatures  is  very  valuable,  especially  in 
the  more  northern  countries,  where  it  is  longer  and  finer.  This  the  Dutch 
have  lately  contrived  to  mix  with  their  wool,  and  weave  into  a  sort  of  drug- 
get, that  is  not  only  warm,  but  wonderfully  light  and  soft.  They  also  make 
gloves  and  stockings  of  it,  that  keep  out  the  cold  almost  as  well  as  the  fur  it- 
self, and  do  not  look  quite  so  savage. 

There  is  a  deal  of  rich  low  ground  on  Yapatsco  creek,  but  I  believe  liable 
to  be  overflowed  in  a  fresh.  However,  it  might  be  proper  enough  for  rice, 
which  receives  but  little  injury  from  water.  We  encamped  on  the  banks  of 
Massamony  creek,  after  a  journey  of  more  than  eleven  miles.  By  the  way 
we  shot  a  fat  doe  and  a  wild  turkey,  which  fed  us  all  plentifully.  And  we 
have  reason  to  say,  by  our  own  happy  experience,  that  no  man  need  to 
despair  of  his  daily  bread  in  the  woods,  whose  faith  is  but  half  so  large  as 
his  stomach. 

14th.  Being  at  length  happily  arrived  within  twenty  miles  of  the  upper- 
most inhabitants,  we  despatched  two  men  who  had  the  ablest  horses  to  go 
before,  and  get  a  beef  killed  and  some  bread  baked  to  refresh  their  fellow 
travellers,  upon  their  arrival.  They  had  likewise  orders  to  hire  an  express 
to  carry  a  letter  to  the  governor,  giving  an  account  that  we  were  all  return- 
ed in  safety.  This  was  the  more  necessary,  because  we  had  been  so  long 
absent  that  many  now  began  to  fear  we  were,  by  this  time,  scalped  and  bar- 
bacued  by  the  Indians.  We  decamped  with  the  rest  of  the  people  about  ten 
o'clock,  and  marched  near  twelve  miles.  In  our  way  we  crossed  Nutbush 
creek,  and  four  miles  farther  we  came  upon  a  beautiful  branch  of  Great 
creek,  where  we  took  up  our  quarters.  The  tent  was  pitched  upon  an  emi- 
nence, which  overlooked  a  wide  piece  of  low  grounds,  covered  with  reeds 
and  watered  by  a  crystal  stream,  gliding  through  the  middle  of  it.  On  the 
other  side  of  this  delightful  valley,  which  was  about  half  a  mile  wide,  rose  a 
hill  that  terminated  the  view,  and  in  the  figure  of  a  semicircle  closed  in  upon 
the  opposite  side  of  the  valley.  This  had  a  most  agreeable  effect  upon  the 
eye,  and  wanted  nothing  but  cattle  grazing  in  the  meadow,  and  sheep  and 
goats  feeding  on  the  hill,  to  make  it  a  complete  rural  landscape. 

The  Indian  killed  a  fawn,  which,  being  upon  its  growth,  was  not  fat,  but 
made  some  amends  by  being  tender.  He  also  shot  an  otter,  but  our  people 
were  now  better  fed  than  to  eat  such  coarse  food.  The  truth  of  it  is,  the 
flesh  of  this  creature  has  a  rank  fishy  taste,  and  for  that  reason  might  be  a 
proper  regale  for  the  Samoeids,  who  drink  the  czar  of  Muscovy's  health  and 
toast  their  mistresses  in  a  bumper  of  train  oil.  The  Carthusians,  to  save 
their  vow  of  eating  no  flesh,  pronounce  this  amphibious  animal  to  be  a  fish, 
and  feed  upon  it  as  such,  without  wounding  their  consciences.  The  skin  of 
the  otter  is  very  soft,  and  the  Swedes  make  caps  and  socks  of  it,  not  only  for 
warmth,  but  also  because  they  fancy  it  strengthens  the  nerves,  and  is  good 
against  all  distempers  of  the  brain.  The  otter  is  a  great  devourer  of  fish, 
which  are  its  natural  food,  and  whenever  it  betakes  itself  to  a  vegetable  diet, 
it  is  as  some  high-spirited  wives  obey  their  husbands,  by  pure  necessity. 
They  dive  after  their  prey,  though  they  cannot  continue  long  under  water, 
but  thrust  their  noses  up  to  the  surface  now  and  then  for  breath.  They  are 
great  enemies  to  weirs  set  up  in  the  rivers  to  catch  fish,  devouring  or  biting 
to  pieces  all  they  find  there.  Nor  is  it  either  easy  to  fright  them  from  this  kind  of 
robbery,  or  to  destroy  them.  The  best  way  I  could  ever  find  was  to  float 
an  old  wheel  just  by  the  weir,  and  so  soon  as  the  otter  has  taken  a  large  fish, 
he  will  get  upon  the  wheel  to  eat  it  more  at  his  ease,  which  may  give  you  an 
opportunity  of  firing  upon  him  from  the  shore.  One  of  our  people  shot  a 
large  gray  squirrel  with  a  very  bushy  tail,  a  singular  use  of  which  our  merry 
Indian  discovered  to  us.     He  said  whenever  this  little  animal  has  occasion  to 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  Q5 

cross  a  run  of  water,  he  launches  a  chip  or  piece  of  bark  into  the  water,  on 
which  he  embarks,  and,  holding  up  his  tail  to  the  wind,  sails  over  very  safely. 
If  this  be  true,  it  is  probable  men  learned  at  first  the  use  of  sails  from  these 
ingenious  little  animals,  as  the  Hottentots  learned  the  physical  use  of  most  of 
their  plants  from  the  baboons. 

15th.  About  three  miles  from  our  camp  we  passed  Great  creek,  and  then, 
after  traversing  very  barren  grounds  for  five  miles  together,  we  crossed  the 
Trading  Path,  and  soon  after  had  the  pleasure  of  reaching  the  uppermost  in- 
habitant. This  was  a  plantation  belonging  to  colonel  Mumford,  where  our 
men  almost  burst  themselves  with  potatoes  and  milk.  Yet  as  great  a  curio- 
sity as  a  house  was  to  us  foresters,  still  we  chose  to  lie  in  the  tent,  as  being 
much  the  cleanlier  and  sweeter  lodging. 

The  Trading  Path  above-mentioned  receives  its  name  from  being  the  route 
the  traders  take  with  their  caravans,  when  they  go  to  traffic  with  the  Cataw- 
bas  and  other  southern  Indians.  The  Catawbas  live  about  two  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  beyond  Roanoke  river,  and  yet  our  traders  find  their  account  in 
transporting  goods  from  Virginia  to  trade  with  them  at  their  own  town. 
The  common  method  of  carrying  on  this  Indian  commerce  is  as  follows: 
Gentlemen  send  for  goods  proper  for  such  a  trade  from  England,  and  then 
either  venture  them  out  at  their  own  risk  to  the  Indian  towns,  or  else  credit 
some  traders  with  them  of  substance  and  reputation,  to  be  paid  in  skins  at  a 
certain  price  agreed  betwixt  them.  The  goods  for  the  Indian  trade  consist 
chiefly  in  guns,  powder,  shot,  hatchets,  (which  the  Indians  call  tomahawks,) 
kettles,  red  and  blue  planes,  Duffields,  Stroudwater  blankets,  and  some  cutle- 
ry wares,  brass  rings  and  other  trinkets.  These  wares  are  made  up  into 
packs  and  carried  upon  horses,  each  load  being  from  one  hundred  and  fifty 
to  two  hundred  pounds,  with  which  they  are  able  to  travel  about  twenty 
miles  a  day,  if  forage  happen  to  be  plentiful.  Formerly  a  hundred  horses 
have  been  employed  in  one  of  these  Indian  caravans,  under  the  conduct  of 
fifteen  or  sixteen  persons  only,  but  now  the  trade  is  much  impaired,  inso- 
much that  they  seldom  go  with  half  that  number.  The  course  from  Roanoke 
to  the  Catawbas  is  laid  down  nearest  south-west,  and  lies  through  a  fine 
country,  that  is  watered  by  several  beautiful  rivers.  Those  of  the  greatest 
note  are,  first,  Tar  river,  which  is  the  upper  part  of  Pamptico,  Flat  river, 
Little  river  and  Eno  river,  all  three  branches  of  Neuse.  Between  Eno  and 
Saxapahaw  rivers  are  the  Haw  old  fields,  which  have  the  reputation  of  con- 
taining the  most  fertile  high  land  in  this  part  of  the  world,  lying  in  a  body  of 
about  fifty  thousand  acres.  This  Saxapahaw  is  the  upper  part  of  Cape  Fair 
river,  the  falls  of  which  lie  many  miles  below  the  Trading  Path.  Some  moun- 
tains overlook  this  rich  spot  of  land,  from  whence  all  the  soil  washes  down 
into  the  plain,  and  is  the  cause  of  its  exceeding  fertility.  Not  far  from  thence 
the  path  crosses  Aramanchy  river,  a  branch  of  Saxapahaw,  and  about  forty 
miles  beyond  that,  Deep  river,  which  is  the  north  branch  of  Peedee.  Then 
forty  miles  beyond  that,  the  path  intersects  the  Yadkin,  which  is  there  half  a 
mile  over,  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  south  branch  of  the  same  Peedee.  The 
soil  is  exceedingly  rich  on  both  sides  the  Yadkin,  abounding  in  rank  grass 
and  prodigiously  large  trees ;  and  for  plenty  of  fish,  fowl  and  venison,  is  infe- 
rior to  no  part  of  the  northern  continent.  There  the  traders  commonly  lie 
still  for  some  days,  to  recruit  their  horses'  flesh  as  well  as  to  recover  their 
own  spirits.  Six  miles  further  is  Crane  creek,  so  named  from  its  being  the 
rendezvous  of  great  armies  of  cranes,  which  wage  a  more  cruel  war  at  this 
day,  with  the  frogs  and  the  fish,  than  they  used  to  do  with  the  pigmies  in  the 
days  of  Homer.  About  three-score  miles  more  bring  you  to  the  first  town 
of  the  Catawbas,  called  Nauvasa,  situated  on  the  banks  of  Santee  river. 
Besides  this  town  there  are  five  others  belonging  to  the  same  nation,  lying 

M 


gg  THE  HISTORY  Of 

all  on  the  same  stream,  within  the  distance  of  twenty  miles.  These  Indians 
were  all  called  formerly  by  the  general  name  of  the  Usherees,  and  were  a 
very  numerous  and  powerful  people.  But  the  frequent  slaughters  made  upon 
them  by  the  northern  Indians,  and,  what  has  been  still  more  destructive  by 
far,  the  intemperance  and  foul  distempers  introduced  amongst  them  by  the 
Carolina  traders,  have  now  reduced  their  numbers  to  little  more  than  four 
hundred  fighting  men,  besides  women  and  children.  It  is  a  charming  place 
where  they  live,  the  air  very  wholesome,  the  soil  fertile,  and  the  winters  ever 
mild  and  serene. 

In  Santee  river,  as  in  several  others  of  Carolina,  a  small  kind  of  alligator 
is  frequently  seen,  which  perfumes  the  water  with  a  musky  smell.  They  sel- 
dom exceed  eight  feet  in  length  in  these  parts,  whereas,  near  the  equinoctial, 
they  come  up  to  twelve  or  fourteen.  And  the  heat  of  the  climate  does  not 
only  make  them  bigger,  but  more  fierce  and  voracious.  They  watch  the 
cattle  there  when  they  come  to  drink  and  cool  themselves  in  the  river ;  and 
because  they  are  not  able  to  drag  them  into  the  deep  water,  they  make  up 
by  stratagem  what  they  want  in  force.  They  swallow  great  stones,  the 
weight  of  which  being  added  to  their  strength,  enables  them  to  tug  a  mode- 
rate cow  under  water,  and  as  soon  as  they  have  drowned  her,  they  discharge 
the  stones  out  of  their  maw  and  then  feast  upon  the  carcass.  However,  as  fierce 
and  as  strong  as  these  monsters  are,  the  Indians  will  surprise  them  napping 
as  they  float  upon  the  surface,  get  astride  upon  their  necks,  then  whip  a  short 
piece  of  wood  like  a  truncheon  into  their  jaws,  and  holding  the  ends  with 
their  two  hands,  hinder  them  from  diving  by  keeping  their  mouths  open,  and 
when  they  are  almost  spent,  they  will  make  to  the  shore,  where  their  riders 
knock  them  on  the  head  and  eat  them.  This  amphibious  animal  is  a  smaller 
kind  of  crocodile,  having  the  same  shape  exactly,  only  the  crocodile  of  the 
Nile  is  twice  as  long,  being  when  full  grown  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet. 
This  enormous  length  is  the  more  to  be  wondered  at,  because  the  crocodile 
is  hatched  from  an  egg  very  little  larger  than  that  of  a  goose.  It  has  a  long 
head,  which  it  can  open  very  wide,  with  very  sharp  and  strong  teeth.  Their 
eyes  are  small,  their  legs  short,  with  claws  upon  their  feet.  Their  tail  makes 
half  the  length  of  their  body,  and  the  whole  is  guarded  with  hard  impenetra- 
ble scales,  except  the  belly,  which  is  much  softer  and  smoother.  They  keep 
much  upon  the  land  in  the  day  time,  but  towards  the  evening  retire  into  the 
water  to  avoid  the  cold  dews  of  the  night.  They  run  pretty  fast  right  for- 
ward, but  are  very  awkward  and  slow  in  turning,  by  reason  of  their  un- 
wieldy length.  It  is  an  error  that  they  have  no  tongue,  without  which  they 
could  hardly  swallow  their  food ;  but  in  eating  they  move  the  upper  jaw  only, 
contrary  to  all  other  animals.  The  way  of  catching  them  in  Egypt  is,  with 
a  strong  hook  fixed  to  the  end  of  a  chain  and  baited  with  a  joint  of  pork, 
which  they  are  very  fond  of.  But  a  live  hog  is  generally  tied  near,  the  cry 
of  which  allures  them  to  the  hook.  This  account  of  the  crocodile  will  agree 
in  most  particulars  with  the  alligator,  only  the  bigness  of  the  last  cannot  enti- 
tle it  to  the  name  of  "  leviathan,"  which  Job  gave  formerly  to  the  crocodile, 
and  not  to  the  whale,  as  some  interpreters  would  make  us  believe.. 

So  soon  as  the  Catawba  Indians  are  informed  of  the  approach  of  the  Vir- 
ginia caravans,  they  send  a  detachment  of  their  warriors  to  bid  them  wel- 
come, and  escort  them  safe  to  their  town,  where  they  are  received  with  great 
marks  of  distinction.  And  their  courtesies  to  the  Virginia  traders,  I  dare 
say,  are  very  sincere,  because  they  sell  them  better  goods  and  better  penny- 
worths than  the  traders  of  Carolina.  They  commonly  reside  among  the 
Indians  till  they  have  bartered  their  goods  away  for  skins,  with  which  they 
load  their  horses  and  come  back  by  the  same  path  they  went.  There  are 
generally  some  Carolina  traders  that  constantly  live  among  the  Catawbas, 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  §7 

and  pretend  to  exercise  a  dictatorial  authority  over  them.  These  petty  rulers 
do  not  only  teach  the  honester  savages  all  sorts  of  debauchery,  but  are  unfair 
in_their-4ealings,  and  use  them  with  all  kinds  of  oppression.  Nor  hasPtheir 
behaviour  been  at  all  better  to  the  rest  of  the  Indian  nations,  among  whom 
they  reside,  by  abusing  their  women  and  evil-entreating  their  men ;  and,  by 
the  way,  this  was  the  true  reason  of  the  fatal  war  which  the  nations  round- 
about made  upon  Carolina  in  the  year  1713.  Then  it  was  that  all  the  neigh- 
bouring Indians,  grown  weary  of  the  tyranny  and  injustice  with  which  they 
had  been  abused  for  many  years,  resolved  to  endure  their  bondage  no  longer, 
but  entered  into  a  general  confederacy  against  their  oppressors  of  Carolina. 
The  Indians  opened  the  war  by  knocking  most  of  those  little  tyrants  on  the 
head  that  dwelt  amongst  them,  under  pretence  of  regulating  their  commerce, 
and  from  thence  carried  their  resentment  so  far  as  to  endanger  both  North 
and  South  Carolina. 

16th.  We  gave  orders  that  the  horses  should  pass  Roanoke  river  at  Moni- 
sep  ford,  while  most  of  the  baggage  was  transported  in  a  canoe.  We  landed 
at  the  plantation  of  Cornelius  Keith,  where  I  beheld  the  wretchedest  scene  of 
poverty  I  had  ever  met  with  in  this  happy  part  of  the  world.  The  man,  his 
wife  and  six  small  children,  lived  in  a  pen,  like  so  many  cattle,  without  any 
roof  over  their  heads  but  that  of  heaven.  And  this  was  their  airy  residence  in 
the  day  time,  but  then  there  was  a  fodder  stack  not  far  from  this  inclosure, 
in  which  the  whole  family  sheltered  themselves  at  night  and  in  bad  weather. 
However,  it  was  almost  worth  while  to  be  as  poor  as  this  man  was,  to  be  as 
perfectly  contented.  All  his  wants  proceeded  from  indolence,  and  not  from 
misfortune.  He  had  good  land,  as  well  as  good  health  and  good  limbs  to 
work  it,  and,  besides,  had  a  trade  very  useful  to  all  the  inhabitants  round 
about.  He  could  make  and  set  up  quern  stones  very  well,  and  had  proper 
materials  for  that  purpose  just  at  hand,  if  he  could  have  taken  the  pains  to 
fetch  them.  There  is  no  other  kind  of  mills  in  those  remote  parts,  and,  there- 
fore, if  the  man  would  have  worked  at  his  trade,  he  might  have  lived  very 
comfortably.  The  poor  woman  had  a  little  more  industry,  and  spun  cotton 
enough  to  make  a  thin  covering  for  her  own  and  her  children's  nakedness. 
I  am  sorry  to  say  it,  but  idleness  is  the  general  character  of  the  men  in  the  I 
southern  parts  of  this  colony  as  well  as  in  North  Carolina.  The  air  is  so 
mild,  and  the  soil  so  fruitful,  that  very  little  labour  is  required  to  fill  their  bel- 
lies, especially  where  the  woods  afford  such  plenty  of  game.  These  advan- 
tages discharge  the  men  from  the  necessity  of  killing  themselves  with  work, 
and  then  for  the  other  article  of  raiment,  a  very  little  of  that  will  suffice  in 
so  temperate  a  climate.  But  so  much  as  is  absolutely  necessary  falls  to  the 
good  women's  share  to  provide.  They  all  spin,  weave  and  knit,  whereby 
they  make  a  good  shift  to  clothe  the  whole  family ;  and  to  their  credit  be  it 
recorded,  many  of  them  do  it  very  completely,  and  thereby  reproach  then- 
husbands'  laziness  in  the  most  inoffensive  way,  that  is  to  say,  by  discovering 
a  better  spirit  of  industry  in  themselves. 

From  hence  we  moved  forward  to  colonel  Mumford's  other  plantation, 
under  the  care  of  Miles  Riley,  where,  by  that  gentleman's  directions,  we 
were  again  supplied  with  many  good  things.  Here  it  was  we  discharged 
our  worthy  friend  and  fellow  traveller,  Mr.  Bearskin,  who  had  so  plentifully  sup- 
plied us  with  provisions  during  our  long  expedition.  We  rewarded  him  to 
his  heart's  content,  so  that  he  returned  to  his  town  loaded  with  riches  and 
the  reputation  of  having  been  a  great  discoverer. 

17th.  This  being  Sunday,  we  were  seasonably  put  in  mind  how  much  we 
were  obliged  to  be  thankful  for  our  happy  return  to  the  inhabitants.  Indeed, 
we  had  great  reason  to  reflect  with  gratitude  on  the  signal  mercies  we  had 
received.     First,  that  we  had,  day  by  day,  been  fed  by  the  bountiful  hand  of 


gg  THE  HISTORY  OF      , 

ProvMence  in  the  desolate  wilderness,  insomuch  that  if  any  of  our  people 
wanted  one  single  meal  during  the  whole  expedition,  it  was  entirely  owing 
to  their  own  imprudent  management.  Secondly,  that  not  one  man  of 
our  whole  company  had  any  violent  distemper  or  bad  accident  befall  him, 
from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the  other.  The  very  worst  that  happened  was, 
that  one~of  them  gave  himself  a  smart  cut  on  the  pan  of  his  knee  with  a 
tomahawk,  which  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  cure  in  a  short  time,  without 
the  help  of  a  surgeon.  As  for  the  misadventures  of  sticking  in  the  mire  and 
falling  into  rivers  and  creeks,  they  were  rather  subjects  of  mirth  than 
complaint,  and  served  only  to  diversify  our  travels  with  a  little  farcical  varie- 
ty. And,  lastly,  that  many  uncommon  incidents  have  concurred  to  prosper 
our  undertaking.  We  had  not  only  a  dry  spring  before  we  went  out,  but 
the  preceding  winter,  and  even  a  year  or  two  before,  had  been  much  drier 
than  ordinary.  This  made  not  only  the  Dismal,  but  likewise,  most  of  the 
sunken  grounds  near  the  sea-side,  just  hard  enough  to  bear  us,  which  other- 
wise had  been  quite  impassable.  And  the  whole  time  we  were  upon  the  bu- 
siness, which  was  in  all  about  sixteen  weeks,  we  were  never  caught  in  the 
rain  except  once,  nor  was  our  progress  interrupted  by  bad  weather  above 
three  or  four  days  at  most.  Besides  all  this,  we  were  surprised  by  no  Indian 
enemy,  but  all  of  us  brought  our  scalps  back  safe  upon  our  heads.  This 
cruel  method  of  scalping  of  enemies  is  practised  by  all  the  savages  in  Ameri- 
ca, and  perhaps  is  not  the  least  proof  of  their  original  from  the  northern  in- 
habitants of  Asia.  Among  the  ancient  Scythians  it  was  constantly  used, 
who  carried  about  these  hairy  scalps  as  trophies  of  victory.  They  served 
them  too  as  towels  at  home,  and  trappings  for  their  horses  abroad.  But 
these  were  not  content  with  the  skin  of  their  enemies'  heads,  but  also  made 
use  of  their  sculls  for  cups  to  drink  out  of  upon  high  festival  days,  and  made 
greater  ostentation  of  them  than  if  they  had  been  made  of  gold  or  the  purest 
crystal. 

Besides  the  duties  of  the  day,  we  christened  one  of  our  men  who  had  been 
bred  a  quaker.  The  man  desired  this  of  his  own  mere  motion,  without  be- 
ing tampered  with  by  the  parson,  who  was  willing  every  one  should  go  to 
heaven  his  own  way.  But  whether  he  did  it  by  the  conviction  of  his  own 
reason,  or  to  get  rid  of  some  troublesome  forms  and  restraints,  to  which  the 
saints  of  that  persuasion  are  subject,  I  cannot  positively  say. 

18th.  We  proceeded  over  a  level  road  twelve  miles,  as  far  as  George 
Hixe's  plantation,  on  the  south  side  of  Meherrin  river,  our  course  being  for 
the  most  part  north-east.  By  the  way  we  hired  a  cart  to  transport  our  bag- 
gage, that  we  might  the  better  befriend  our  jaded  horses.  Within  two  miles 
of  our  journey's  end  this  day,  we  met  the  express  we  had  sent  the  Saturday 
before  to  give  notice  of  our  arrival.  He  had  been  almost  as  expeditious  as  a 
carrier  pigeon,  riding  in  two  days  no  less  than  two  hundred  miles. 

All  the  grandees  of  the  Sapponi  nation  did  us  the  honour  to  repair  hither 
to  meet  us,  and  our  worthy  friend  and  fellow  traveller,  Bearskin,  appeared 
among  the  gravest  of  them  in  his  robes  of  ceremony.  Four  young  ladies  of 
the  first  quality  came  with  them,  who  had  more  the  air  of  cleanliness  than 
any  copper-coloured  beauties  I  had  ever  seen  ;  yet  we  resisted  all  their 
charms,  notwithstanding  the  long  fast  we  had  kept  from  the  sex,  and  the  bear 
diet  we  had  been  so  long  engaged  in.  Nor  can  I  say  the  price  they  set  upon 
their  charms  was  at  all  exorbitant.  A  princess  for  a  pair  of  red  stockings 
cannot,  surely,  be  thought  buying  repentance  much  too  dear.  The  men  had 
something  great  and  venerable  in  their  countenances,  beyond  the  common 
mien  of  savages ;  and  indeed  they  ever  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  ho- 
nestest,  as  well  as  the  bravest  Indians  we  have  ever  been  acquainted  with. 
This  people  is  now  made  up  of  the  remnants  of  several  other  nations,  of 


THE  DIVIDIMJ  LINK.  $9 

which  the  most  considerable  are  the  Sappoaies,  the  Occaneches,  and  Stor.ken- 
hocks,  who  not  finding  themselves  separately  numerous  enough  for  their  de- 
fence, have  agreed  to  unite  into  one  body,  and  all  of  them  now  go  under  the 
name  of  the  Sapponies.     Each  of  these  was  former!}'  a  distinct  nation,  or 
rather  a  several  clan  or  canton  of  the  same  nation,  speaking  the  same  lan- 
guage, and  using  the  same  customs.     But  their  perpetual  wars  against  all 
other  Indians,  in  time,  reduced  them  so  low  as  to  make  it  necessary  to  join 
their  forces  together.     They  dwelt  formerly  not  far  below  the  mountains,  up- 
on Yadkin  river,  about  two  hundred  miles  west  and  by  south  from  the  falls  of 
Roanoke.     But  about  twenty-five  years  ago  they  took  refuge  in  Virginia, 
being  no  longer  in  condition  to  make  head  not  only  against  the  northern  In- 
dians, who  are  their  implacable  enemies,  but  also  against  most  of  those  to 
the  south.     All  the  nations  round  about,  bearing  in  mind  the  havoc  these 
Indians  used  formerly  to  make  among  their  ancestors  in  the  insolence  of 
their  power,  did  at  length  avenge  it  home  upor»them,  and  made  them  glad  to 
apply  to  this  government  for  protection.     Colonel  Spotswood,  our  then  lieu- 
tenant governor,  having  a  good  opinion  of  their  fidelity  and  courage,  settled 
them  at  Christanna,  ten  miles  north  of  Roanoke,  upon  the  belief  that  they 
would  be  a  good  barrier,  on  that  side  of  the  country,  against  the  incursion  of 
all  foreign  Indians.     And  in  earnest  they  would  have  served  well  enough  for 
that  purpose,  if  the  white  people  in  the  neighbourhood  had  not  debauched 
their  morals,  and  ruined  their  health  with  rum,  which  was  the  cause  of  many 
disorders,  and  ended  at  last  in  a  barbarous  murder  committed  by  one  of 
these  Indians  when  he  was  drunk,  for  which  the  poor  wretch  was  executed 
when  he  was  sober.     It  was  matter  of  great  concern  to  them,  however,  that 
one  of  their  grandees  should  be  put  to  so  ignominious  a  death.     All  Indians 
have  as  great  an  aversion  to  hanging  as  the  Muscovites,  though  perhaps  not 
for  the  same  cleanly  reason :  these  last  believing  that  the  soul  of  one  that 
dies  in  this  manner,  being  forced  to  sally  out  of  the  body  at  the  postern,  must 
needs  be  defiled.     The  Sapponies  took  this  execution  so  much  to  heart,  that 
they  soon  after  quitted  their  settlement  and  removed  in  a  body  to  the  Ca- 
tawbas.     The  daughter  of  the  Tetero  king  went  away  with  the  Sapponies, 
but  being  the  last  of  her  nation,  and  fearing  she  should  not  be  treated  ac- 
cording to  her  rank,  poisoned  herself,  like  an  old  Roman,  with  the  root  of 
the  trumpet  plant.     Her  father  died  two  years  before,  who  was  the  most 
intrepid  Indian  we  have  been  acquainted  with.     He  had  made  himself  terri- 
ble to  all  other  Indians  by  his  exploits,  and  had  escaped  so  many  dangers 
that  he  was  esteemed  invulnerable.     But  at  last  he  died  of  a  pleurisy,  the 
last  man  of  his  race  and  nation!  leaving  only  that  unhappy  daughter  behind 
him,  who  would  not  long  survive  him. 

The  most  uncommon  circumstance  in  this  Indian  visit  was,  that  they  all 
came  on  horse-back,  which  was  certainly  intended  for  a  piece  of  state,  be- 
cause the  distance  was  but  three  miles,  and  it  is  likely  they  had  walked  on 
foot  twice  as  far  to  catch  their  horses.  The  men  rode  more  awkwardly  than 
any  Dutch  sailor,  and  the  ladies  bestrode  their  palfreys  a  la  mode  de  France, 
but  were  so  bashful  about  it,  that  there  was  no  persuading  them  to  mount  till 
they  were  quite  out  of  our  sight.  The  French  women  used  to  ride  a-strad- 
dle,  not  so  much  to  make  them  sit  firmer  in  the  saddle,  as  from  the  hepes  the 
same  thing  might  peradventure  befall  them  that  once  happened  to  the  nun  of 
Orleans,  who,  escaping  out  of  a  nunnery,  took  post  en  cavalier,  and  in  ten 
miles'  hard  riding  had  the  good  fortune  to  have  all  th,e  tokens  of  a  man  break 
out  upon  her.  This  piece  of  history  ought  to  be  the  more  credible,  because 
it  leans  upon  much  the  same  degree  of  proof  as  the  tale  of  bishop  Burnet's 
two  Italian  nuns,  who,  according  to  his  lordship's  account,  underwent  the 
same  happy  metamorphosis,  probably  by  some  other  violent  exercise. 


90  THE  HISTORY  OF 

19th.  From  hence  we  despatched  the  cart  with  our  baggage  under  a 
guard,  and  crossed  Meherrin  river,  which  was  not  thirty  yards  wide  at  that 
place.  By  the  help  of  fresh  horses,  that  had  been  sent  us,  we  now  began  to 
mend  our  pace,  which  was  also  quickened  by  the  strong  inclinations  we  had 
to  get  home.  In  the  distance  of  five  miles  we  forded  Meherrin  creek,  which 
was  very  near  as  broad  as  the  river.  About  eight  miles  farther  we  came  to 
Sturgeon  creek,  so  called  from  the  dexterity  an  Occanechy  Indian  showed 
there  in  catching  one  of  those  royal  fish,  which  was  performed  after  the  fol- 
lowing manner.  In  the  summer  time  it  is  no  unusual  thing  for  sturgeons  to 
sleep  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  one  of  them  having  wandered  up  into 
this  creek  in  the  spring,  was  floating  in  that  drowsy  condition.  The  Indian, 
above-mentioned,  ran  up  to  the  neck  into  the  creek  a  little  below  the  place 
where  he  discovered  the  fish,  expecting  the  stream  would  soon  bring  his 
game  down  to  him.  He  judged  the  matter  right,  and  as  soon  as  it  came 
within  his  reach,  he  whipped  £  running  noose  over  his  jole.  This  waked  the 
sturgeon,  which  being  strong  in  its  own  element  darted  immediately  under 
water  and  dragged  the  Indian  after  him.  The  man  made  it  a  point  of  honour 
to  keep  his  hold,  which  he  did  to  the  apparent  danger  of  being  drowned. 
Sometimes  both  the  Indian  and  the  fish  disappeared  for  a  quarter  of  a  mi- 
nute, and  then  rose  at  some  distance  from  where  they  dived.  At  this  rate 
they  continued  flouncing  about,  sometimes  above  and  sometimes  under  wa- 
ter, for  a  considerable  time,  till  at  last  the  hero  suffocated  his  adversary,  and 
hauled  his  body  ashore  in  triumph. 

About  six  miles  beyond  that,  we  passed  over  Wicco-quoi  creek,  named  so 
from  the  multitude  of  rocks  over  which  the  water  tumbles,  in  a  fresh,  with  a 
bellowing  noise.  Not  far  from  where  we  went  over,  is  a  rock  much  higher 
than  the  rest,  that  strikes  the  eye  with  agreeable  horror,  and  near  it  a  very 
talkative  echo,  that,  like  a  fluent  help-mate,  will  return  her  good  man  seven 
words  for  one,  and  after  all  be  sure  to  have  the  last.  It  speaks  not  only  the 
language  of  men,  but  also  of  birds  and  beasts,  and  often  a  single  wild  goose 
is  cheated  into  the  belief  that  some  of  his  company  are  not  far  off,  by  hear- 
ing his  own  cry  multiplied ;  and  it  is  pleasant  to  see  in  what  a  flutter  the  poor 
bird  is,  when  he  finds  himself  disappointed.  On  the  banks  of  this  creek  are 
very  broad  low-grounds  in  many  places,  and  abundance  of  good  high-land, 
though  a  little  subject  to  floods. 

We  had  but  two  miles  more  to  captain  Embry's,  where  we  found  the 
housekeeping  much  better  than  the  house.  Our  bountiful  landlady  had  set 
her  oven  and  all  her  spits,  pots,  gridirons  and#saucepans  to  work,  to  diversify 
our  entertainment,  though  after  all  it  proved  but  a  Mahometan  feast,  there 
being  nothing  to  drink  but  water.  The  worst  of  it  was,  we  had  unluckily 
outrode  the  baggage,  and  for  that  reason  were  obliged  to  lodge  very  socia- 
bly in  the  same  apartment  with  the  family,  where,  reckoning  women  and 
children,  we  mustered  in  all  no  less  than  nine  persons,  who  all  pigged  loving- 
ly together. 

20th.  In  the  morning  colonel  Boiling,  who  had  been  surveying  in  the 
neighbourhood,  and  Mr.  Walker,  who  dwelt  not  far  off,  came  to  visit  us;  and 
the  last  of  these  worthy  gentlemen,  fearing  that  our  drinking  so  much  water 
might  incline  us  to  pleurisies,  brought  us  a  kind  supply  both  of  wine  and 
cider.  It  was  noon  before  we  could  disengage  ourselves  from  the  courtesies 
of  this  place,  and  then  the  two  gentlemen  above-mentioned  were  so  good  as 
to  accompany  us  that  day's  journey,  though  they  could  by  no  means  approve 
of  our  Lithuanian  fashion  of  dismounting  now  and  then,  in  order  to  walk 
part  of  the  way  on  foot.  We  crossed  Nottoway  river  not  far  from  our  land- 
lord's house,  where  it  seemed  to  be  about  twenty-five  yards  over.  This 
river  divides  the  county  of  Prince  George  from  that  of  Brunswick.     We  had 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  9} 

not  gone  eight  miles  farther  before  our  eyes  were  blessed  with  the  sight  of 
Sapponi  chapel,  which  was  the  first  house  of  prayer  we  had  seen  for  more 
than  two  calendar  months.  About  three  miles  beyond  that,  we  passed  over 
Stony  creek,  where  one  of  those  that  guarded  the  baggage  killed  a  polecat, 
upon  which  he  made  a  comfortable  repast.  Those  of  his  company  were  so 
squeamish  they  could  not  be  persuaded  at  first  to  taste,  as  they  said,  of  so  un- 
savoury an  animal ;  but  seeing  the  man  smack  his  lips  with  more  pleasure 
than  usual,  they  ventured  at  last  to  be  of  his  mess,  and  instead  of  finding  the 
flesh  rank  and  high-tasted,  they  owned  it  to  be  the  sweetest  morsel  they  had 
ever  eaten  in  their  lives.  The  ill  savour  of  this  little  beast  lies  altogether  in 
its  urine,  which  nature  has  made  so  detestably  ill-scented  on  purpose  to  fur- 
nish a  helpless  creature  with  something  to  defend  itself.  For  as  some  brutes 
have  horns  and  hoofs,  and  others  are  armed  with  claws,  teeth  and  tusks  for 
their  defence ;  and  as  some  spit  a  sort  of  poison  at  their  adversaries,  like  the 
paco ;  and  others  dart  quills  at  their  pursuers,  like  the  porcupine ;  and  as 
some  have  no  weapons  to  help  themselves  but  their  tongues,  and  others  none 
but  their  tails ;  so  the  poor  polecat's  safety  lies  altogether  in  the  irresistible 
stench  of  its  water ;  insomuch  that  when  it  finds  itself  in  danger  from  an 
enemy,  it  moistens  its  bushy  tail  plentifully  with  this  liquid  ammunition,  and 
then,  with  great  fury,  sprinkles  it  like  a  shower  of  rain  full  into  the  eyes  of 
its  assailant,  by  which  it  gains  time  to  make  its  escape.  Nor  is  the  polecat 
the  only  animal  that  defends  itself  by  a  stink.  At  the  cape  of  Good  Hope  is 
a  little  beast,  called  a  stinker,  as  big  as  a  fox,  and  shaped  like  a  ferret,  which 
being  pursued  has  no  way  to  save  itself  but  by  ejecting  its  wind  and  excre- 
ments, and  then  such  a  stench  ensues  that  none  of  its  pursuers  can  possibly 
stand  it. 

At  the  end  of  thirty  good  miles,  we  arrived  in  the  evening  at  colonel  Boi- 
ling's, where  first,  from  a  primitive  course  of  life,  we  began  to  relapse  into 
luxury.  This  gentleman  lives  within  hearing  of  the  falls  of  Appomattox 
river,  which  are  very  noisy  whenever  a  flood  happens  to  roll  a  greater 
stream  than  ordinary  over  the  rocks.  The  river  is  navigable  for  small  craft 
as  high  as  the  falls,  and  at  some  distance  from  thence  fetches  a  compass,  and 
runs  nearly  parallel  with  James  river  almost  as  high  as  the  mountains.  While 
the  cor*teissioners  fared  sumptuously  here,  the  poor  chaplain  and  two  sur- 
veyors,1iaving  stopped  ten  miles  short  at  a  poor  planter's  house,  in  pity  to 
their  horses,  made  a  St.  Anthony's  meal,  that  is,  they  supped  upon  the 
pickings  of  what  stuck  in  their  teeth  ever  since  breakfast.  But  to  make 
them  amends,  the  good  man  laid  them  in  his  own  bed,  where  they  all  three 
nestled  together  in  one  cotton  sheet  and  one  of  brown  oznaburgs,  made  still 
something  browner  by  two  months'  copious  perspiration.  But  those  worthy 
gentlemen  were  so  alert  in  the  morning  after  their  light  supper,  that  they 
came  up  with  us  before  breakfast,  and  honestly  paid  their  stomachs  all  they 
owed  them. 

21st.  We  made  no  more  than  a  Sabbath  day's  journey  from  this  to  the 
next  hospitable  house,  namely,  that  of  our  great  benefactor,  colonel  Mumford. 
We  had  already  been  much  befriended  by  this  gentleman,  who,  besides  send- 
ing orders  to  his  overseers  at  Roanoke  to  let  us  want  for  nothing,  had,  in  the 
beginning  of  our  business,  been  so  kind  as  to  recommend  most  of  the  men 
to  us  who  were  the  faithful  partners  of  our  fatigue.  Although  in  most  other 
achievements  those  who  command  are  apt  take  all  the  honour  to  themselves 
of  what  perhaps  was  more  owing  to  the  vigour  of  those  who  were  under 
them,  yet  I  must  be  more  just,  and  allow  these  brave  fellows  their  full  share 
of  credit  for  the  service  we  performed,  and  must  declare,  that  it  was  in  a 
great  measure  owing  to  their  spirit  and  indefatigable  industry  that  we  over- 


92  THE  HISTORY  OF 

came  many  obstacles  in  the  course  of  our  line,  which  till  then  had  been 
esteemed  insurmountable.  Nor  must  I  at  the  same  time  omit  to  do  justice  to 
the  surveyors,  and  particularly  to  Mr.  Mayo,  who,  besides  an  eminent  degree 
of  skill,  encountered  the  same  hardships  and  underwent  the  same  fatigue  that 
the  forwardest  of  the  men  did,  and  that  with  as  much  cheerfulness  as  if  pain 
had  been  his  pleasure,  and  difficulty  his  real  diversion.  Here  we  discharged 
the  few  men  we  had  left,  who  were  all  as  ragged  as  the  Gibeonite  ambassa- 
dors, though,  at  the  same  time,  their  rags  were  very  honourable,  by  the  ser- 
vice they  had  so  vigorously  performed  in  making  them  so. 

22d.  A  little  before  noon  we  all  took  leave  and  dispersed  to  our  several  habita- 
tions, where  we  were  so  happy  as  to  find  all  our  families  well.  This  crowned 
all  our  other  blessings,  and  made  our  journey  as  prosperous  as  it  had  been 
painful.  Thus  ended  our  second  expedition,  in  which  we  extended  the  line 
within  the  shadow  of  the  Chariky  mountains,  where  we  were  obliged  to  set 
up  our  pillars,  like  Hercules,  and  return  home.  We  had  now,  upon  the 
whole,  been  out  about  sixteen  weeks,  including  going  and  returning,  and  had 
travelled  at  least  six  hundred  miles,  and  no  small  part  of  that  distance  on  foot. 
Below,  towards  the  seaside,  our  course  lay  through  marshes,  swamps,  and 
great  waters  ;  and  above,  over  steep  hills,  craggy  rocks,  and  thickets,  hardly 
penetrable.  Notwithstanding  this  variety  of  hardships,  we  may  say,  without 
vanity,  that  we  faithfully  obeyed  the  king's  orders,  and  performed  the  busi- 
ness effectually,  in  which  we  had  the  honour  to  be  employed.  Nor  can  we  by 
any  means  reproach  ourselves  of  having  put  the  crown  to  any  exorbitant  ex- 
pense in  this  difficult  affair,  the  whole  charge,  from  beginning  to  end,  amount- 
ing to  no  more  that  one  thousand  pounds.  But  let  no  one  concerned  in  this 
painful  expedition  complain  of  the  scantiness  of  his  pay,  so  long  as  his  majesty 
has  been  graciously  pleased  to  add  to  our  reward  the  honour  of  his  royal  appro- 
bation, and  to  declare,  notwithstanding  the  desertion  of  the  Carolina  commis- 
sioners, that  the  line  by  us  run  shall  hereafter  stand  as  the  true  boundary  be- 
twixt the  governments  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 


The  Names  of  the  Commissioners  to  direct  the  running  of  the  Line  between 
Virginia  and  North  Carolina. 

William  Byrd,  } 

Richard  Fitz-william,  >  Esquires,  Commissioners  for  Virginia. 

William  Dandridge,     j 

Christopher  Gale,        } 
John  Lovewick, 
Edward  Moseley, 
William  Little, 


Esquires,  Commissioners  for  Carolina. 


Alexander  Irvin,  )  0  c     xt-     ■  • 

William  Mayo,  \  Survey°rs  for  Vir£inia- 

dward      oseley,  /  gurveyors  for  j\j  Carolina, 

Samuel  Swan,  }  J 

The  Reverend  Peter  Fountain,  Chaplain. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE. 


93 


Names  of  the  Men,  employed  on  the  part  of  Virginia  to  run  the  Line  between 
that  Colony  and  North  Carolina. 


ON  THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION. 

1 .  Peter  Jones, 

2.  Thomas  Jones, 

3.  Thomas  Short, 

4.  Robert  Hix, 

5.  John  Evans, 

6.  Stephen  Evans, 

7.  John  Ellis, 

8.  John  Ellis,  Jr. 

9.  Thomas  Wilson, 

10.  George  Tilman, 

11.  Charles  Kimbal, 

12.  George  Hamilton, 

13.  Robert  Allen, 

14.  Thomas  Jones,  Jr. 

15.  James  Petillo, 

16.  Richard  Smith, 

1 7.  John  Rice. 


ON  THE  SECOND  EXPEDITION. 

Peter  Jones, 
Thomas  Jones, 
Thomas  Short, 
Robert  Hix, 
John  Evans, 
Stephen  Evans, 
.John  Ellis, 
John  Ellis,  Jr. 
Thomas  Wilson, 
George  Tilman, 
Charles  Kimbal, 
George  Hamilton, 
Thomas  Jones,  Jr. 
James  Petillo, 
Richard  Smith, 
Abraham  Jones, 
Edward  Powell, 
William  Pool, 
William  Calvert, 
James  Whitlock, 
Thomas  Page, 


Account  of  the  Expense  of  running  the  Line  between   Virginia  and  North 

Carolina. 


To  the  men's  wages  in  current  money 

To  sundry  disbursements  for  provisions,  &c. 

To  paid  the  men  for  seven  horses  lost 


The  sum  of  £495  1 1  6  current  money  reduced  at  1 5  per  cent, 
sterling  amounts  to  ...... 

To  paid  to  colonel  Byrd 

To  paid  to  colonel  Dandridge 

To  paid  Mr.  Fitz-william 

To  paid  to  the  chaplain,  Mr.  Fountain     .... 

To  paid  to  Mr.  William  Mayo 

To  paid  to  Mr.  Alexander  Irvin      -        -        - 

To  paid  for  a  tent  and  marquis 


This  sum  was  discharged  by  a  warrant  out  of  his  majesty's  quitrents  from 
the  lands  in  Virginia. 

N 


£277 

10 

0 

174 

01 

6 

44 

0 

0 

£495 

11 

6 

£430 

8 

10 

142 

5 

7 

142 

5 

7 

94 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

75 

0 

0 

75 

0 

0 

20 

0 

0 

£1000 

0 

0 

94  THE  HISTORY  OF 


APPENDIX 

To  the  foregoing  journal,  containing  the  second  charter  to  the  proprietors  of 
Carolina,  confirming  and  enlarging  the  first,  and  also  several  other  acts 
to  which  it  refers.  These  are  placed  by  themselves  at  the  end  of  the  book, 
that  they  may  not  interrupt  the  thread  of  the  story,  and  the  reader  will  be 
more  at  liberty  whether  he  will  please  to  read  them  or  not,  being  something 
dry  and  unpleasant. 


The  second  Charter  granted  by  King   Charles  II.  to  the   Proprietors   of 

Carolina.* 

Charles,  by  the  grace  of  God,  &c. :  Whereas,  by  our  letters  patent,  bear- 
ing date  the  four  and  twentieth  day  of  March,  in  the  fifteenth  year  of  our 
reign,  we  were  graciously  pleased  to  grant  unto  our  right  trusty  and  right 
well  beloved  cousin  and  counsellor,  Edward,  earl  of  Clarendon,  our  high 
chancellor  of  England,  our  right  trusty  and  right  entirely  beloved  cousin 
and  counsellor,  George,  duke  of  Albemarle,  master  of  our  horse,  our  right 
trusty  and  well  beloved  William,  now  earl  of  Craven,  our  right  trusty  and 
well  beloved  counsellor,  Anthony,  lord  Ashley,  chancellor  of  our  exchequer, 
our  right  trusty  and  well  beloved  counsellor,  sir  George  Carterett,  knight 
and  baronet,  vice  chamberlain  of  our  household,  our  right  trusty  and  well 
beloved,  sir  John  Colleton,  knight  and  baronet,  and  sir  William  Berkley, 
knight,  all  that  province,  territory,  or  tract  of  ground,  called  Carolina,  situate, 
lying  and  being  within  our  dominions,  of  America,  extending  from  the  north 
end  of  the  island  called  Luke  island,  which  lies  in  the  southern  Virginia  seas, 
and  within  six  and  thirty  degrees  of  the  northern  latitude ;  and  to  the  west 
as  far  as  the  South  seas ;  and  so  respectively  as  far  as  the  river  of  Mathias, 
which  bordereth  upon  the  coast  of  Florida,  and  within  one  and  thirty  de- 
grees of  the  northern  latitude,  and  so  west  in  a  direct  line  as  far  as  the  South 
seas  aforesaid.  Now  know  ye,  that,  at  the  humble  request  of  the  said 
grantees  in  the  aforesaid  letters  patent  named,  and  as  a  further  mark  of  our 
especial  favour  towards  them,  we  are  graciously  pleased  to  enlarge  our  said 
grant  unto  them  according  to  the  bounds  and  limits  hereafter  specified,  and 
in  favour  to  the  pious  and  noble  purpose  of  the  said  Edward,  earl  of  Claren- 
don, George,  duke  of  Albemarle,  William,  earl  of  Craven,  John,  lord  Berkley, 
Anthony,  lord  Ashley,  sir  George  Carterett,  sir  John  Colleton  and  sir  William 
Berkley,  we  do  give  and  grant  to  them,  their  heirs  and  assigns,  all  that  pro- 
vince, territory,  or  tract  of  ground,  situate,  lying  and  being  within  our  do- 
minions of  America  aforesaid,  extending  north  and  eastward  as  far  as  the 
north  end  of  Coratuck  river  or  inlet,  upon  a  straight  westerly  line  to  Wya- 
noke  creek,  which  lies  within  or  about  the  degrees  of  thirty-six  and  thirty 
minutes  northern  latitude,  and  so  west  in  a  direct  line  as  far  as  the  South 
seas ;  and  south  and  westward  as  far  as  the  degrees  of  twenty-nine  inclu- 
sive northern  latitude,  and  so  west  in  a  direct  line  as  far  as  the  South  seas ; 
together  with  all  and  singular  ports,  harbours,  bays,  rivers  and  inlets  belong- 
ing unto  the  province  or  territory  aforesaid.  And  also,  all  the  soil,  lands, 
fields,  woods,  mountains,  ferms,  lakes,  rivers,  bays  and  inlets,  situate,  or  be- 

*  As  this  charter  is  very  long,  and  but  a  small  portion  of  it  has  any  relation  to  the  sub- 
ject of  dispute  between  the  two  colonies,  no  more  will  be  inserted  here  than  so  much  as 
precedes  and  embraces  the  matter  in  controversy. — Editor. 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  95 

ing  within  the  bounds  or  limits  last  before  mentioned  :  with  the  fishing  of  all 
sorts  of  fish,  whales,  sturgeons,  and  all  other  royal  fishes  in  the  sea,  bays,  in- 
lets, and  rivers,  within  the  premises,  and  the  fish  therein  taken ;  together 
with  the  royalty  of  the  sea,  upon  the  coast  within  the  limits  aforesaid.  And 
moreover,  all  veins,  mines  and  quarries,  as  well  discovered  as  not  discovered, 
of  gold,  silver,  gems  and  precious  stones,  and  all  other  whatsoever;  be  it 
of  stones,  metals  or  any  other  thing  found  or  to  be  found  within  the  province, 
territory,  inlets  and  limits  aforesaid.  *  *  *  * 


At  the  Court  of  St.  James,  the  1st  day  of  March,  1710. — Present,  the  Queen's 
most  excellent  majesty  in  Council. 

Upon  reading  this  day  at  the  board  a  representation  from  the  right  ho- 
nourable the  lords  commissioners  for  trade  and  plantations,  in  the  words 
following:  In  pursuance  of  your  majesty's  pleasure,  commissioners  have 
been  appointed  on  the  part  of  your  majesty's  colony  of  Virginia,  as  likewise 
on  the  part  of  the  province  of  Carolina,  for  the  settling  the  bounds  between 
those  governments;  and  they  have  met  several  times  for  that  purpose,  but  have 
not  agreed  upon  any  one  point  thereof,  by  reason  of  the  trifling  delays  of  the 
Carolina  commissioners,  and  of  the  many  difficulties  by  them  raised  in  rela-  v 
tion  to  the  proper  observations  and  survey  they  were  to  make.  However, 
the  commissioners  for  Virginia  have  delivered  to  your  majesty's  lieutenant 
governor  of  that  colony  an  account  of  their  proceedings,  which  account 
has  been  under  the  consideration  of  your  majesty's  council  of  Virginia,  and 
they  have  made  a  report  thereon  to  the  said  lieutenant  governor,  who  having 
lately  transmitted  unto  us  a  copy  of  that  report,  we  take  leave  humbly  to  lay 
the  substance  thereof  before  your  majesty,  which  is  as  follows: 

That  the  commissioners  of  Carolina  are  both  of  them  persons  engaged  in 
interest  to  obstruct  the  settling  the  boundaries  between  that  province  and 
the  colony  of  Virginia ;  for  one  of  them  has  for  several  years  been  surveyor 
general  of  Carolina,  has  acquired  to  himself  great  profit  by  surveying  lands 
within  the  controverted  bounds,  and  has  taken  up  several  tracts  of  land  in 
his  own  name,  and  sold  the  same  to  others,  for  which  he  stands  still  obliged  * 
to  obtain  patents  from  the  government  of  Carolina.  The  other  of  them  is  at 
this  time  surveyor  general,  and  hath  the  same  prospect  of  advantage  by 
making  future  surveys  within  the  said  bounds.  That  the  behavior  of  the 
Carolina  commissioners  has  tended  visibly  to  no  other  end  than  to  protract 
and  defeat  the  settling  this  affair :  and  particularly  Mr.  Moseley  has  used 
so  many  shifts  and  excuses  to  disappoint  all  conferences  with  the  commis- 
sioners of  Virginia,  as  plainly  show  his  aversion  to  proceed  in  a  business  that 
tends  so  manifestly  to  his  disadvantage.  His  prevaricating  on  this  occasion 
has  been  so  indiscreet  and  so  unguarded,  as  to  be  discovered  in  the  presence 
of  the  lieutenant  governor  of  Virginia.  He  started  so  many  objections 
to  the  powers  granted  to  the  commissioners  of  that  colony,  with  design  to 
render  their  conferences  ineffectual,  that  his  joint  commissioner  could  hardly 
find  an  excuse  for  him.  And  when  the  lieutenant  governor  had  with  much 
ado  prevailed  with  the  said  Mr.  Moseley  to  appoint  a  time  for  meeting  the 
commissioners  of  Virginia,  and  for  bringing  the  necessary  instruments  to 
take  the  latitude  of  the  bounds  in  dispute,  which  instruments  he  owned  were 
ready  in  Carolina,  he  not  only  failed  to  comply  with  his  own  appointment, 
but  after  the  commissioners  of  Virginia  had  made  a  journey  to  his  house,  and 
had  attended  him  to  the  places  proper  for  observing  the  latitude,  he  would 
not  take  the  trouble  of  carrying  his  own  instrument,  but  contented  himself 


96  THE  HJ STORY  OF* 

to  find  fault  with  the  quadrant  produced  by  the  Virginia  commissioners, 
though  that  instrument  had  been  approved  by  the  best  mathematicians.and 
is  of  universal  use.  From  all  which  it  is  evident  how  little  hopes  there  are 
of  settling  the  boundaries  above-mentioned,  in  concert  with  the  present  com- 
missioners for  Carolina.  That  though  the  bounds  of  the  Carolina  charter 
are  in  express  words  limited  to  Weyanoke  creek,  lying  in  or  about  36°  30' 
of  northern  latitude,  yet  the  commissioners  for  Carolina  have  not  by  any  of 
their  evidences  pretended  to  prove  any  such  place  as  Weyanoke  creek,  the 
amount  of  their  evidence  reaching  no  further  than  to  prove  which  is  Weya- 
noke river,  and  even  that  is  contradicted  by  affidavit  taken  on  the  part  of 
Virginia ;  by  which  affidavits  it  appears  that,  before  the  date  of  the  Carolina 
charter  to  this  day,  the  place  they  pretend  to  be  Weyanoke  river  was,  and 
is  still,  called  Nottoway  river.  But  supposing  the  same  had  been  called 
Weyanoke  river,  it  can  be  nothing  to  their  purpose,  there  being  a  great  dif- 
ference between  a  river  and  a  creek.  Besides,  in  that  country  there  are 
divers  rivers  and  creeks  of  the  same  name,  as  Potomac  river,  and  Potomac 
creek,  Rappahannock  river,  and  Rappahannock  creek,  and  several  others, 
though  there  are  many  miles'  distance  between  the  mouths  of  these  rivers 
and  the  mouths  of  these  creeks.  It  is  also  observable,  that  the  witnesses  on 
the  part  of  Carolina  are  all  very  ignorant  persons,  and  most  of  them  of  ill 
fame  and  reputation,  on  which  account  they  had  been  forced  to  remove  from 
Virginia  to  Carolina.  Further,  there  appeared  to  be  many  contradictions  in 
their  testimonies,  whereas,  on  the  other  hand,  the  witnesses  to  prove  that  the 
right  to  those  lands  is  in  the  government  of  Virginia  are  persons  of  good 
credit,  their  knowledge  of  the  lands  in  question  is  more  ancient  than  any  of 
the  witnesses  for  Carolina,  and  their  evidence  fully  corroborated  by  the  con- 
current testimony  of  the  tributary  Indians.  And  that  right  is  farther  con- 
firmed by  the  observations  lately  taken  of  the  latitude  in  those  parts,  by 
which  it  is  plain,  that  the  creek  proved  to  be  Weyanoke  creek  by  the  Vir- 
ginia evidences,  and  sometimes  called  Wicocon,  answers  best  to  the  latitude 
described  in  the  Carolina  charter,  for  it  lies  in  thirty-six  degrees,  forty 
minutes,  which  is  ten  minutes  to  the  northward  of  the  limits  described  in 
the  Carolina  grant,  whereas  Nottoway  river,  lies  exactly  in  the  latitude  of 
thirty-seven  degrees,  and  can  by  no  construction  be  supposed  to  be  the  boun- 
dary described  in  their  charter  ;  so  that  upon  the  whole  matter,  if  the  com- 
missioners of  Carolina  had  no  other  view  than  to  clear  the  just  right  of  the 
proprietors,  such  undeniable  demonstrations  would  be  sufficient  to  convince 
them ;  but  the  said  commissioners  give  too  much  cause  to  suspect  that  they 
mix  their  own  private  interest  with  the  claim  of  the  proprietors,  and  for  that 
reason  endeavour  to  gain  time  in  order  to  obtain  grants  for  the  land  already 
taken  up,  and  also  to  secure  the  rest  on  this  occasion,  we  take  notice,  that 
they  proceed  to  survey  the  land  in  dispute,  notwithstanding  the  assurance 
given  by  the  government  of  Carolina  to  the  contrary  by  their  letter  of  the 
17th  of  June,  1707,  to  the  government  of  Virginia,  by  which  letter  they  pro- 
mised that  no  lands  should  be  taken  up  within  the  controverted  bounds  till 
the  same  were  settled. 

Whereupon  we  humbly  propose,  that  the  lords  proprietors  be  acquainted 
with  the  foregoing  complaint  of  the  trifling  delays  of  their  commissioners, 
which  delays  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  have  proceeded  from  the  self-interest 
of  those  commissioners,  and  that  therefore  your  majesty's  pleasure  be  signi- 
fied to  the  said  lords  proprietors,  that  by  the  first  opportunity  they  send 
orders  to  their  governor  or  commander  in  chief  of  Carolina  for  the  time 
being,  to  issue  forth  a  new  commission,  to  the  purport  of  that  lately  issued, 
thereby  constituting  two  other  persons,  not  having  any  personal  interest  in, 
or  claim  to,  any  of  the  land  lying  within  the  boundary,  in  the  room  of  Kd- 


THE  DIVIDING  LIME.  97 

ward  Moseley  and  John  Lawson.  The  Carolina  commissioners  to  be  appoint- 
ed being  strictly  required  to  finish  their  survey,  and  to  make  a  return 
thereof  in  conjunction  with  the  Virginia  commissioners,  within  six  months, 
to  be  computed  from  the  time,  that  due  notice  shall  be  given  by  your  majes- 
ty's lieutenant  governor  of  Virginia  to  the  governor  or  commander  in  chief 
of  Carolina,  of  the  time  and  place,  which  your  majesty's  said  lieutenant 
governor  shall  appoint  for  th6  first  meeting  of  the  commissioners  on  one 
part  and  the  other.  In  order  whereunto  we  humbly  offer,  that  directions  be 
sent  to  the  said  lieutenant  governor,  to  give  such  notice  accordingly ;  and 
if  after  notice  so  given,  the  Carolina  commissioners  shall  refuse  or  neglect 
to  join  with  those  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  in  making  such  survey,  as  likewise 
a  return  thereof  within  the  time  before  mentioned ;  that  then  and  in  such 
case  the  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Virginia  be  directed  to  draw  up  an 
account  of  the  proper  observations  and  survey  which  they  shall  have  made 
for  ascertaining  the  bounds  between  Virginia  and  Carolina,  and  to  deliver 
the  same  in  writing  under  their  hands  and  seals  to  the  lieutenant  governor 
and  council  of  Virginia,  to  the  end  the  same  may  be  laid  before  your  majesty, 
for  your  majesty's  final  determination  therein,  within,  with  regard  to  the 
settling  of  those  boundaries;  the  lords  proprietors  having,  by  an  instrument 
under  their  hands,  submitted  the  same  to  your  majesty's  royal  determination, 
which  instrument,  dated  in  March,  1708,  is  lying  in  this  office. 

And  lastly,  we  humbly  propose,  that  your  majesty's  further  pleasure  be 
signified  to  the  said  lords  proprietors,  and  in  like  manner  to  the  lieutenant 
governor  of  Virginia,  that  no  grants  be  passed  by  either  of  those  govern- 
ments of  any  of  the  lands  lying  within  the  controverted  bounds,  until  such 
bounds  shall  be  ascertained  and  settled  as  aforesaid,  whereby  it  may  appear 
whether  those  lands  do  of  right  belong  to  your  majesty,  or  to  the  lords  pro- 
prietors of  Carolina. 

Her  majesty  in  council,  approving  of  the  said  representation,  is  pleased  to 
order,  as  it  is  hereby  ordered,  that  the  right  honourable  the  lords  commis- 
sioners for  trade  and  plantations  do  signify  her  majesty's  pleasure  herein  to 
her  majesty's  lieutenant  governor  or  commander  in  chief  of  Virginia  for 
the  time  being,  and  to  all  persons  to  whom  it  may  belong,  as  is  proposed 
by  their  lordships  in  the  said  representation,  and  the  right  honourable  the 
lords  proprietors  of  Carolina  are  to  do  what  on  their  part  does  appertain. 

Edward  Southwell. 


Proposals  for  determining  the  Controversy  relating  to  the  bounds  bettveen  the 
governments  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  most  humbly  offered  for  his 
Majesty's  royal  approbation,  and  for  the  consent  of  the  right  honourable  the 
Lords  Proprietors  of  Carolina. 

Forasmuch  as  the  dispute  between  the  said  two  governments  about  their 
true  limits  continues  still,  notwithstanding  the  several  meetings  of  the  com- 
missioners, and  all  the  proceedings  of  many  years  past,  in  order  to  adjust 
that  affair,  and  seeing  no  speedy  determination  is  likely  to  ensue,  unless 
some  medium  be  found  out,  in  which  both  parties  may  incline  to  acquiesce, 
wherefore  both  the  underwritten  governors  having  met,  and  considered  the 
prejudice  both  to  the  king  and  the  lords  proprietors'  interest,  by  the  con- 
tinuance of  this  contest,  and  truly  endeavouring  a  decision,  which  they 
judge  comes  nearest  the  intention  of  royal  charter  granted  to  the  lords 
proprietors,  do,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of  their  respective  councils,  pro- 
pose as  follows. 


98  THE  HISTORY  OF 

That  from  the  mouth  of  Coratuck  river  or  inlet,  and  setting  the  compass 
on  the  north  shore,  thereof  a  due  west  line  be  run  and  fairly  marked,  and 
if  it  happen  to  cut  Chowan  river,  between  the  mouths  of  Nottoway  river 
and  Wicocon  creek,  then  shall  the  same  direct  course  be  continued  towards 
the  mountains,  and  be  ever  deemed  the  sole  dividing  line  between  Virginia 
and  Carolina. 

That  if  the  said  west  line  cuts  Chowan  river  to  the  southward  of  Wicocon 
creek,  then  from  point  of  intersection  the  bounds  shall  be  allowed  to  continue 
up  the  middle  of  the  said  Chowan  river  to  the  middle  of  the  entrance  into 
the  said  Wicocon  creek,  and  from  thence  a  due  west  line  shall  divide  the 
said  two  governments. 

That  if  a  due  west  line  shall  be  found  to  pass  through  islands  or  to  cut  out 
small  slips  of  land,  which  might  much  more  conveniently  be  included  in  one 
province  or  the  other  by  natural  water  bounds,  in  such  cases  the  persons 
appointed  for  running  the  line  shall  have  power  to  settle  natural  bounds, 
provided  the  commissioners  of  both  sides  agree  thereto,  and  that  all  such 
variations  from  the  west  line,  be  particularly  noted  in  the  maps  or  plats, 
which  they  shall  return,  to  be  put  upon  the  records  of  both  governments, 
all  which  is  humbly  submitted  by 

Charles  Eden. 
A.  Spotswood. 


Order  of  the  King  and  Council  upon  the  foregoing  proposals,  at  the'  Court  of 
St.  James,  the  26th  day  of  March,  1729.  Present,  the  King's  most  excel- 
lent majesty  in  Council. 

Whereas  it  has  been  represented  to  his  majesty  at  the  board,  that  for  ad- 
justing the  disputes,  which  have  subsisted  for  many  years  past,  between  the 
colonies  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  concerning  their  true  boundaries, 
the  late  governors  of  the  said  colonies  did  some  time  since  agree  upon  cer- 
tain proposals  for  regulating  the  said  boundaries  for  the  future,  to  which  pro- 
posals the  lords  proprietors  of  Carolina  have  given  their  assent ;  and  where- 
as the  said  proposals  were  this  day  presented  to  his  majesty  as  proper  for  his 
royal  approbation, 

His  majesty  is  thereupon  pleased,  with  the  advice  of  his  privy  council,  to 
approve  of  the  said  proposals,  a  copy  whereof  is  hereunto  annexed,  and  to 
order,  as  it  is  hereby  ordered,  that  the  governor  or  commander  in  chief  of  the 
colony  of  Virginia,  do  settle  the  said  boundaries,  in  conjunction  with  the 
governor  of  North  Carolina,  agreeably  to  the  said  proposals. 

Edward  Southwell. 


The  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Virginia's  Commissionin  obedience  to  his  Majesty's 

Order. 

George  the  Second,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britain,  France  and 
Ireland  king,  defender  of  the  faith,  to  our  trusty  and  well  beloved  William 
Byrd,  Richard  Fitz-william,  and  William  Dandridge,  Esqrs.,  members  of  our 
council  of  the  colony  and  dominion  of  Virginia,  greeting:  Whereas  our 
late  royal  father  of  blessed  memory  was  graciously  pleased,  by  order  in  his 
privy  council,  bearing  date  the  28th  day  of  March  1727,  to  approve  of  cer- 
tain proposals  agreed  upon  by  Alexander  Spotswood,  Esq.  late  lieutenant 
governor  of  Virginia,  on  the  one  part,  and  Charles  Eden,  Esq.  late  governor 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE  99 

of  the  province  of  North  Carolina,  for  determining  the  controversy  relating 
to  the  bounds  between  the  said  two  governments,  and  was  farther  pleased  to 
direct  and  order,  that  the  said  boundaries  should  be  laid  out  and  settled 
agreeably  to  the  said  proposals.     Know  ye,  therefore,  that  reposing  special 
trust  and  confidence  in  your  ability  and  provident  circumspection,  have  as- 
signed, constituted  and  appointed,  and  by  these  presents  do  assign,  constitute 
and  appoint  you  and  every  of  you  jointly  and  severally,  our  commission- 
ers for  and  on  behalf  of  our  colony  and  dominion  of  Virginia,  to  meet  the 
commissioners  appointed  or  to  be  appointed  on  the  part  of  the  province  of 
North  Carolina,  and  in  conjunction  with  them  to  cause  a  line  or  lines  of 
division  to  be  run  and  marked,  to  divide  the  said  two  governments  according 
to  the  proposals  above-mentioned,  and  the  order  of  our  late  royal  father, 
copies  of  both  which  you  will  herewith  receive.    And  we  do  further  give  and 
grant  unto  you,  and  in  case  of  the  death  or  absence  of  any  of  you,  such  of 
you  as  shall  be  present,  full  power  and  authority  to  treat  and  agree  with  the 
said  commissioners  of  the  province  of  North  Carolina  on  such  rules  and 
methods  as  you  shall  judge  most  expedient  for  the  adjusting  and  finally  de- 
termining all  disputes  or  controversies  which  may  arise,  touching  any  islands 
or  other  small  slips  of  land  which  may  happen  to  be  intersected  or  cut  off  by 
the  dividing  line  aforesaid,  and  which  may  with  more  conveniency  be  in- 
cluded in  the  one  province  or  the  other  by  natural  water  bounds,  agreeably 
to  the  proposals  aforementioned,  and  generally  to  do  and  perform  all  matters 
and  things  requisite  for  the  final  determination  and  settlement  of  the  said 
boundaries,  according  to  the  said  proposals.     And  to  the  end  our  service 
herein  may  not  be  disappointed  through  the  refusal  or  delay  of  the  commis- 
sioners for  the  province  of  North  Carolina,  to  act  in  conjunction  with  you  in 
settling  the  boundaries  aforesaid,  we  do  hereby  give  and  grant  unto  you,  or 
such  of  you  as  shall  be  present  at  the  time  and  place  appointed  for  running 
the  dividing  line  aforesaid,  full  power  and  authority  to  cause  the  said  line 
to  be  run  and  marked  out,  conformable  to  the  said  proposals,  having  due  re- 
gard to  the  doing  equal  justice  to  us,  and  to  the  lords  proprietors  of  Carolina, 
any  refusal,  disagreement,  or  opposition  of  the  said  commissioners  of  North 
Carolina  notwithstanding.     And  in  that  case  we  do  hereby  require  you  to 
make  a  true  report  of  your  proceedings  to  our  lieutenant  governor,  or  com- 
mander in  chief  of  Virginia,  in  order  to  be  laid  before  us  for  our  approbation, 
and  final  determination  herein.     And  in  case  any  person  or  persons  what- 
soever shall  presume  to  disturb,  molest  or  resist,  you,  or  any  of  the  officers 
or  persons  by  your  direction,  in  running  the  said  line,  and  executing  the 
powers  herein  given  you,  we  do  by  these  presents  give  and  grant  unto  you, 
or  such  of  you  as  shall  be  attending  the  service  aforesaid,  full  power  and 
authority  by  warrant  under  your  or  any  of  your  hands  and  seals,  to  order 
and  command  all  and  every  the  militia  officers  in  our  counties  of  Princess 
Anne,  Norfolk,   Nansemond,   and  Isle  of   Wight,   or   other    the   adjacent 
counties,  together    with    the    sheriff   of   each    of  the    said    counties,  or 
either  of  them,  to  raise  the  militia  and  posse  of  the  said  several  counties, 
for  the  removing  all  force  and  opposition,  which  shall  or  may  be  made  to  you 
in  the  due  execution  of  this  our  commission,  and  we  do  hereby  will  and  re- 
quire, as  well  the  officers  of  the  militia,  as  all  other  our  officers  and  loving 
subjects  within  the  said  counties,  and  all  others  whom  it  may  concern,  to  be 
obedient,  aiding  and  assisting  unto  you  in  all  and  singular  the  premises. 
And  we  do  in  like  manner  command  and  require  you,  to  cause  fair  maps  and 
descriptions  of  the  said  dividing  line,  and  the  remarkable  places  through 
which  it  shall  pass,  to  be  made  and  returned  to  our  lieutenant  governor  or 
commander  in  chief  of  our  said  colony  for  the  time  being,  in  order  to  be  en- 
tered on  record  in  the  proper  offices  within  our  said  colony.     Provided  that 


100  THE  HISTORY  OF 

you  do  not,  by  colour  of  this  our  commission,  take  upon  you  or  determine 
any  private  man's  property,  in  or  to  the  lands  which  shall  by  the  said 
dividing  line  be  included  within  the  limits  of  Virginia,  nor  of  any  other  mat- 
ter or  thing  that  doth  not  relate  immediately  to  the  adjusting,  settling,  and 
final  determination  of  the  boundary  aforesaid,  conformable  to  the  proposals 
hereinbefore  mentioned,  and  not  otherwise.  In  witness  whereof  we  have 
caused  these  presents  to  be  made.  Witness  our  trusty  and  well  beloved 
William  Gooch,  Esq.  our  lieutenant  governor  and  commander  in  chief  of  our 
colony  and  dominion  of  Virginia,  under  the  seal  of  our  said  colony,  at 
Williamsburg,  the  14th  day  of  December,  1727,  in  the  first  year  of  our 
reign.  William  Gooch. 


The  Governor  of  North  Carolina's  Commission  in  obedience  to  his  Majesty's 

Order. 

Sir  Richard  Everard,  baronet,  governor,  captain  general,  admiral,  and 
commander  in  chief  of  the  said  province :  To  Christopher  Gale,  Esq.  chief 
justice,  John  Lovick,  Esq.,  secretary,  Edward  Moseley,  Esq.,  surveyor  general 
and  William  Little,  Esq.,  attorney  general,  greeting :  Whereas  many  disputes 
and  differences  have  formerly  been  between  the  inhabitants  of  this  province 
and  those  of  his  majesty's  colony  of  Virginia,  concerning  the  boundaries  and 
limits  between  the  said  two  governments,  which  having  been  duly  considered 
by  Charles  Eden,  Esq.,  late  governor  of  this  province,  and  Alexander  Spots- 
wood,  Esq.,  late  governor  of  Virginia,  they  agreed  to  certain  proposals  for  de- 
termining the  said  controversy,  and  humbly  offered  the  same  for  his  majesty's 
royal  approbation,  and  the  consent  of  the  true  and  absolute  lords  pro- 
prietors of  Carolina.  And  his  majesty  having  been  pleased  to  signify  his 
royal  approbation  of  those  proposals  (consented  unto  by  the  true  and  abso- 
lute lords  proprietors  of  Carolina)  and  given  directions  for  adjusting  and 
settling  the  boundaries  as  near  as  may  be  to  the  said  proposals : 

I,  therefore,  reposing  especial  trust  and  confidence  in  you,  the  said  Christo- 
pher Gale,  John  Lovick,  Edward  Moseley  and  William  Little,  to  be  commis- 
sioners, on  the  part  of  the  true  and  absolute  lords  proprietors,  and  that  you 
in  conjunction  with  such  commissioners  as  shall  be  nominated  for  Virginia, 
use  your  utmost  endeavours,  and  take  all  necessary  care  in  adjusting  and 
settling  the  said  boundaries,  by  drawing  such  a  distinct  line  or  lines  of  divi- 
sion between  the  said  two  provinces,  as  near  as  reasonable  you  can  to  the 
proposals  made  by  the  two  former  governors,  and  the  instructions  herewith 
given  you.  Given  at  the  council  chamber  in  Edenton,  under  my  hand,  and 
the  seal  of  the  colony,  the  21st  day  of  February,  anno  Domini  1727,  and  in 
the  first  year  of  the  reign  of  our  sovereign  lord,  king  George  the  Second. 

Richard  Everard. 


The  Protest  of  the   Carolina  Commissioners,  against  our  proceeding  on  the 

Line  without  them. 

We  the  underwritten  commissioners  for  the  government  of  North  Caro- 
lina, in  conjunction  with  the  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  having 
run  the  line  for  the  division  of  the  two  colonies  from  Coratuck  inlet,  to  the 
south  branch  of  Roanoke  river ;  being  in  the  whole  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy  miles,  and  near  fifty  miles  without  the  inhabitants,  being  of  opinion 
we  had  run  the  line  as  far  as  would  be  requisite  for  a  long  time,  judged  the 


THE  DIVIDING  LINE.  101 

carrying  it  farther  would  be  a  needless  charge  and  trouble.  And  the  grand 
debate  which  had  so  long  subsisted  between  the  two  governments,  about 
Weyanoke  river  or  creek,  being  settled  at  our  former  meeting  in  the  spring, 
when  we  were  ready  on  our  parts  to  have  gone  with  the  line  to  the  utmost 
inhabitants,  which  if  it  had  been  done,  the  line  at  any  time  after  might  have 
been  continued  at  an  easy  expense  by  a  surveyor  on  each  side ;  and  if  at 
any  time  hereafter  there  should  be  occasion  to  cany  the  line  on  further  than 
we  have  now  run  it,  which  we  think  will  not  be  in  an  age  or  two,  it  may  be 
done  in  the  same  easy  manner,  without  the  great  expense  that  now  attends 
it.  And  on  a  conference  of  all  the  commissioners,  we  have  communicated 
our  sentiments  thereon,  and  declared  our  opinion,  that  we  had  gone  as  far  as 
the  service  required,  and  thought  proper  to  proceed  no  farther ;  to  which  it 
was  answered  by  the  commissioners  for  Virginia,  that  they  should  not  regard 
what  we  did,  but  if  we  desisted,  they  would  proceed  without  us.  But  we, 
conceiving  by  his  majesty's  order  in  council  they  were  directed  to  act  in 
conjunction  with  the  commissioners  appointed  for  Carolina,  and  having  ac- 
cordingly run  the  line  jointly  so  far,  and  exchanged  plans,  thought  they  could 
not  carry  on  the  bounds  singly ;  but  that  their  proceedings  without  us  would 
be  irregular  and  invalid,  and  that  it  would  be  no  boundary,  and  thought 
proper  to  enter  our  dissent  thereto.  Wherefore,  for  the  reasons  aforesaid,  in 
the  name  of  his  excellency  the  lord  palatine,  and  the  rest  of  the  tx*ue  and 
absolute  lords  proprietors  of  Carolina,  we  do  hereby  dissent  and  disallow  of 
any  farther  proceeding  with  the  bounds  without  our  concurrence,  and  pur- 
suant to  our  instructions  do  give  this  our  dissent  in  writing. 

Ed-ward  Moseley. 

William  Little. 

C.  Gale. 
October  7  th,  172S.  J.  Lovick. 


The  Answer  of  the  Virginia  Commissioners  to  the  foregoing  Protest. 

Whereas,  on  the  7th  of  October  last,  a  paper  was  delivered  to  us  by  the 
commissioners  of  North  Carolina,  in  the  style  of  a  protest,  against  our  carry- 
ing any  farther,  without  them,  the  dividing  line  between  the  two  governments, 
we,  the  underwritten  commissioners  on  the  part  of  Virginia,  having  maturely 
considered  the  reasons  offered  in  the  said  protest,  why  those  gentlemen  re- 
tired so  soon  from  that  service,  beg  leave  to  return  the  following  answer : 

They  are  pleased  in  the  first  place  to  allege,  by  way  of  reason,  that  hav- 
ing run  the  line  near  fifty  miles  beyond  the  inhabitants,  it  was  sufficient  for 
a  long  time,  in  their  opinion  for  an  age  or  two.  To  this  we  answer  that,  by 
breaking  off  so  soon,  they  did  but  imperfectly  obey  his  majesty's  order,  as- 
sented to  by  the  lords  proprietors.  The  plain  meaning  of  that  order  was, 
to  ascertain  the  bounds  betwixt  the  two  governments  as  far  towards  the 
mountains  as  we  could,  that  neither  the  king's  grants  may  hereafter  encroach 
on  the  lords  proprietors',  nor  theirs  on  the  rights  of  his  majesty.  And 
though  the  distance  towards  the  great  mountains  be  not  precisely  determin- 
ed, yet  surely  the  west  line  should  be  carried  as  near  them  as  may  be,  that 
both  the  king's  lands  and  those  of  their  lordships,  may  be  taken  up  the 
faster,  and  that  his  majesty's  subjects  may  as  soon  as  possible  extend  them- 
selves to  that  natural  barrier.  This  they  will  certainly  do  in  a  few  years, 
when  they  know  distinctly  in  which  government  they  may  enter  for  the 
land,  as  they  have  already  done  in  the  more  northern  parts  of  Virginia.  So 
that  it  is  strange  the  Carolina  commissioners  should  affirm,  that  the  distance 
only  of  fifty  miles  abore  the  inhabitants  would  be  sufficient  to  carry  the 
O 


102  THE  DIVIDING  LINE. 

line  for  an  age  or  two,  especially  considering  that,  two  or  three  days  before 
the  date  of  their  protest,  Mr.  Mayo  had  entered  with  them  for  two  thousand 
acres  of  land,  within  five  miles  of  the  place  where  they  left  off.  Besides,  if 
we  reflect  on  the  richness  of  the  soil  in  those  parts,  and  the  convenience  for 
stock,  we  may  foretell,  without  the  spirit  of  divination,  that  there  will  be 
many  settlements  higher  than  those  gentlemen  went,  in  less  than  ten  years, 
and  perhaps  in  half  that  time. 

Another  reason  mentioned  in  the  protest  for  their  retiring  so  soon  from  the 
service  is,  that  their  going  farther  would  be  a  needless  charge  and  trouble. 
And  they  allege  that  the  rest  may  be  done  by  one  surveyor  on  a  side,  in  an 
easy  manner,  whenever  it  shall  be  thought  necessary. 

To  this  we  answer,  that  frugality  for  the  public  is  a  rare  virtue,  but  when 
the  public  service  must  suffer  by  it,  it  degenerates  into  a  vice.  And  this  will 
ever  be  the  case  when  gentlemen  execute  the  orders  of  their  superiors  by 
halves.  But  had  the  Carolina  commissioners  been  sincerely  frugal  for  their 
government,  why  did  they  carry  out  provisions  sufficient  to  support  them 
and  their  men  for  ten  weeks,  when  they  intended  not  to  tarry  half  that 
time  1  This  they  must  own  to  be  true,  since  they  brought  one  thousand 
pounds  of  provisions  along  with  them.  Now,  after  so  great  an  expense  in 
their  preparations,  it  had  been  no  mighty  addition  to  their  charge,  had  they 
endured  the  fatigue  five  or  six  weeks  longer.  It  would  at  most  have  been 
no  more  than  they  must  be  at,  whenever  they  finish  their  work,  even  though 
they  should  fancy  it  proper  to  trust  a  matter  of  that  consequence  to  the 
management  of  one  surveyor.  Such  a  one  must  have  a  number  of  men 
along  with  him,  both  for  his  assistance  and  defence,  and  those  men  must 
have  provisions  to  support  them. 

These  are  all  the  reasons  these  gentlemen  think  fit  to  mention  in  their 
protest,  though  they  had  in  truth  a  more  powerful  argument  for  retiring  so 
abruptly,  which,  because  they  forgot,  it  will  be  neighbourly  to  help  them  out. 
The  provisions  they  intended  to  bring  along  with  them,  for  want  of  horses 
to  carry  them,  were  partly  dropped  by  the  way,  and  what  they  could  bring 
was  husbanded  so  ill,  that  after  eighteen  days,  (which  was  the  whole  time 
we  had  them  in  our  company,)  they  had  no  more  left,  by  their  own  confes- 
sion, than  two  pounds  of  biscuit  for  each  man,  to  carry  them  home.  How- 
ever, though  this  was  an  unanswerable  reason  for  gentlemen  for  leaving  the 
business  unfinished,  it  was  none  at  all  for  us,  who  had  at  that  time  bread 
sufficient  for  seven  weeks  longer.  Therefore,  lest  their  want  of  manage- 
ment might  put  a  stop  to  his  majesty's  service,  and  frustrate  his  royal  inten- 
tions, we  judged  it  our  duty  to  proceed  without  them,  and  have  extended 
the  dividing  line  so  far  west  as  to  leave  the  great  mountains  on  each  hand 
to  the  eastward  of  us.  And  this  we  have  done  with  the  same  fidelity  and 
exactness  as  if  the  gentlemen  had  continued  with  us.  Our  surveyors 
(whose  integrity  I  am  persuaded  they  will  not  call  in  question)  continued  to 
act  under  the  same  oath,  which  they  had  done  from  the  beginning.  Yet,  not- 
withstanding all  this,  if  the  government  of  North  Carolina  should  not  hold 
itself  bound  by  that  part  of  the  line  which  we  made  without  the  assistance 
of  its  commissioners,  yet  we  shall  have  this  benefit  in  it  at  least,  that  his  ma- 
jesty will  know  how  far  his  lands  reach  towards  the  south,  and  consequently 
where  his  subjects  may  take  it  up,  and  how  far  they  may  be  granted  without 
injustice  to  the  lords  proprietors.  To  this  we  may  also  add,  that  having 
the  authority  of  our  commission,  to  act  without  the  commissioners  4of 
Carolina,  in  case  of  their  disagreement  or  refusal,  we  thought  ourselves  bound 
upon  their  retreat  to  finish  the  line  without  them,  lest  his  majesty's  service 
might  suffer  by  any  honour  or  neglect  on  their  part. 

William  Dandridge. 
William  Byrd. 


A 

JOFMEY 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN 


IN  THE  YEAR   1733. 


September  11th.  Having  recommended  my  family  to  the  protection  of  the 
Almighty,  I  crossed  the  river  with  two  servants  and  four  horses,  and  rode  to 
Col.  Mumford's.  There  I  met  my  friend,  Mr.  Banister,  who  was  to  be  the 
kind  companion  of  my  travels.  I  stayed  dinner  with  the  good  colonel,  while 
Mr.  Banister  made  the  best  of  his  way  home,  to  get  his  equipage  ready,  in 
order  to  join  me  the  next  day.  After  dining  plentifully,  and  wishing  all  that 
was  good  to  the  household,  I  proceeded  to  major  Mumford's,  who  had  also  • 
appointed  to  go  along  with  me.  I  was  the  more  obliged  to  him,  because  he 
made  me  the  compliment  to  leave  the  arms  of  a  pretty  wife,  to  lie  on  the  cold 
ground  for  my  sake.  She  seemed  to  chide  me  with  her  eyes,  for  coming  to 
take  her  bedfellow  from  her,  now  the  cold  weather  came  on,  and  to  make 
my  peace,  I  was  forced  to  promise  to  take  an  abundance  of  care  of  him,  in 
order  to  restore  him  safe  and  sound  to  her  embraces. 

12th.  After  the  major  had  cleared  his  pipes,  in  calling  with  much  authority 
about  him,  he  made  a  shift  to  truss  up  his  baggage  about  nine  o'clock.  Near 
the  same  hour  my  old  friend  and  fellow  traveller,  Peter  Jones,  came  to  us 
completely  accoutred.  Then  we  fortified  ourselves  with  a  beef-steak,  kissed 
our  landlady  for  good  luck,  and  mounted  about  ten.  The  major  took  one 
Robin  Boiling  with  him,  as  squire  of  his  body,  as  well  as  conductor  of  his 
baggage.  Tom  Short  had  promised  to  attend  me,  but  had  married  a  wife 
and  could  not  come.  We  crossed  Hatcher's  run,  Gravelly  run,  Stony  creek, 
and  in  the  distance  of  about  twenty  miles  reached  Sapponi  chapel,  where 
Mr.  Banister  joined  us.  Thus  agreeably  reinforced  we  proceeded  ten  miles 
further,  to  major  Embry's,  on  the  south  side  of  Nottoway  river.  The  major 
was  ill  of  a  purging  and  vomiting,  attended  with  a  fever  which  had  brought 
him  low ;  but  I  prescribed  him  a  gallon  or  two  of  chicken  broth,  which  washed 
him  as  clean  as  a  gun,  and  quenched  his  fever.  Here  major  Mayo  met  us,  well 
equipped  for  a  march  into  the  woods,  bringing  a  surveyor's  tent,  that  would 
shelter  a  small  troop.  Young  Tom  Jones  also  repaired  hither  to  make  his  ex- 
cuse ;  but  old  Tom  Jones,  by  the  privilege  of  his  age,  neither  came  nor  sent,  so 
that  we  were  not  so  strong  as  we  intended,  being  disappointed  of  three  of  our 
ablest  foresters.  The  entertainment  we  met  with  was  the  less  sumptuous  by 
reason  of  our  landlord's  indisposition.  On  this  occasion  we  were  as  little  trou- 
blesome as  possible,  by  sending  part  of  our  company  to  Richard  Birch's,  who 
lives  just  by  the  bridge  over  the  river.  We  sent  for  an  old  Indian  called 
Shacco-Will,  living  about  seven  miles  off,  who  reckoned  himself  seventy- 
eight  years  old.     This  fellow  pretended  he  could  conduct  us  to  a  silver  mine, 


104  A  JOURNEY  TO 

that  lies  either  upon  Eno  river,  or  a  creek  of  it,  not  far  from  where  the  Tus- 
caroras  once  lived.  But  by  some  circumstances  in  his  story,  it  seems  to 
be  rather  a  lead  than  a  silver  mine.  However,  such  as  it  is,  he  promised  to 
go  and  show  it  to  me  whenever  I  pleased.  To  comfort  his  heart,  I  gave  him 
a  bottle  of  rum,  with  which  he  made  himself  very  happy,  and  all  the  family 
very  miserable  by  the  horrible  noise  he  made  all  night. 

1 3th.  Our  landlord  had  great  relief  from  my  remedy,  and  found  himself 
easy  this  morning.  On  this  account  we  took  our  departure  with  more  satis- 
faction, about  nine,  and  having  picked  up  our  friends  at  Mr.  Birch's,  pursued 
our  journey  over  Quoique  creek,  and  Sturgeon  run,  as  far  as  Brunswick 
court  house,  about  twelve  miles  beyond  Nottoway.  By  the  way,  I  sent  a 
runner  half  a  mile  out  of  the  road  to  Col.  Drury  Stith's,  who  was  so  good  as 
to  come  to  us.  We  cheered  our  hearts  with  three  bottles  of  pretty  good 
Madeira,  which  made  Drury  talk  very  hopefully  of  his  copper  mine.  We 
easily  prevailed  with  him  to  let  us  have  his  company,  upon  condition  we 
would  take  the  mine  in  our  way.  From  thence  we  proceeded  to  Meherrin 
river,  which  lies  eight  miles  beyond  the  court  house,  and  in  our  way  forded 
Great  creek.  For  fear  of  being  belated,  we  called  not  at  my  quarter,  where 
Don  Pedro  is  overseer,  and  lives  in  good  repute  amongst  his  neighbours. 
In  compliment  to  the  little  major  we  went  out  of  our  way,  to  lie  at  a  settle- 
ment of  his  upon  Cock's  creek,  four  miles  short  of  Roanoke.  Our  fare  here 
was  pretty  coarse,  but  Mr.  Banister  and  I  took  possession  of  the  bed,  while 
the  rest  of  the  company  lay  in  bulk  upon  the  floor.  This  night  the  little 
major  made  the  first  discovery  of  an  impatient  and  peevish  temper,  equally 
unfit  both  for  a  traveller  and  a  husband. 

14th.  In  the  morning  my  friend  Tom  Wilson  made  me  a  visit,  and  gave 
me  his  parole  that  he  would  meet  us  at  Blue  Stone  Castle.  We  took  horse 
about  nine,  and  in  the  distance  of  ten  miles  reached  a  quarter  of  Col.  Stith's, 
under  the  management  of  John  Tomasin.  This  plantation  lies  on  the  west 
side  of  Stith's  creek,  which  was  so  full  of  water,  by  reason  of  a  fresh  in  the 
river,  that  we  could  not  ford  it,  but  we  and  our  baggage  were  paddled  over 
in  a  canoe,  and  our  horses  swam  by  our  sides.  After  staying  here  an  hour, 
with  some  of  Diana's  maids  of  honour,  we  crossed  Miles'  creek  a  small 
distance  off,  and  at  the  end  of  eight  miles  were  met  by  a  tall,  meager  figure, 
which  I  took  at  first  for  an  apparition,  but  it  proved  to  be  Col.  Stith's  miner. 
I  concluded  that  the  unwholesome  vapours  arising  from  the  copper  mine  had 
made  this  operator  such  a  skeleton,  but  upon  inquiry  understood  it  was 
sheer  famine  had  brought  him  so  low.  He  told  us  his  stomach  had  not  been 
blessed  with  one  morsel  of  meat  for  more  than  three  weeks,  and  that  too  he 
had  been  obliged  to  short  allowance  of  bread,  by  reason  corn  was  scarce  and 
to  be  fetched  from  Tomasin's,  which  was  ten  long  miles  from  the  mine 
where  he  lived.  However,  in  spite  of  this  spare  diet,  the  man  was  cheerful, 
and  uttered  no  complaint.  Being  conducted  by  him,  we  reached  the  mines 
about  five  o'clock,  and  pitched  our  tents,  for  the  first  time,  there  being  yet  no 
building  erected  but  a  log-house,  to  shelter  the  miner  and  his  two  negroes. 
We  examined  the  mine  and  found  it  dipped  from  east  to  west,  and  showed 
but  a  slender  vein,  embodied  in  a  hard  rock  of  white  spar.  The  shaft  they 
had  opened  was  about  twelve  feet  deep,  and  six  over.  I  saw  no  more  than 
one  peck  of  good  ore  above  ground,  and  that  promised  to  be  very  rich. 
The  engineer  seemed  very  sanguine,  and  had  not  the  least  doubt  but  his  em- 
ployer's fortune  was  made.  He  made  us  the  compliment  of  three  blasts,  and 
we  filled  his  belly  with  good  beef  in  return,  which  in  his  hungry  circum- 
stances was  the  most  agreeable  present  we  could  make  him. 

1 5th.  It  rained  in  the  morning,  which  made  us  decamp  later  than  we  in- 
tended, but  the  clouds  clearing  away  about  ten,  we  wished  good  luck  to 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN,  ]Q5 

the  mine  and  departed.  We  left  Col.  Stith  there  to  keep  fast  with  his  miner, 
and  directed  our  course  through  the  woods  to  Boucher's  creek,  which  hath  its 
name  from  an  honest  fellow  that  lives  upon  it.  This  place  is  about  six  miles 
from  Col.  Stith's  works,  and  can  also  boast  of  a  very  fair  show  of  copper  ore. 
It  is  dug  out  of  the  side  of  a  hill,  that  rises  gradually  from  the  creek  to  the 
house.  The  good  man  was  from  home  himself;  but  his  wife,  who  was  as  old 
as  one  of  the  Sibyls,  refreshed  us  with  an  ocean  of  milk.  By  the  strength 
of  that  entertainment,  we  proceeded  to  Mr.  Mumford's  quarter,  about  five 
miles  off,  where  Joseph  Colson  is  overseer.  Here  our  thirsty  companions 
raised  their  drooping  spirits  with  a  cheerful  dram,  and  having  wet  both  eyes, 
we  rode  on  seven  miles  farther  to  Blue  Stone  Castle,  five  whereof  were 
through  my  own  land,  that  is  to  say,  all  above  Sandy  creek.  My  land  there 
in  all  extends  ten  miles  upon  the  river  ;  and  three  charming  islands,  namely, 
Sapponi,  Occaneeche,  and  Totero,  run  along  the  whole  length  of  it.  The 
lowest  of  these  islands  is  three  miles  long,  the  next  four,  and  the  uppermost 
three,  divided  from  each  other  by  only  a  narrow  strait.  The  soil  is  rich  in 
all  of  them,  the  timber  large,  and  a  kind  of  pea,  very  grateful  to  cattle  and 
horses,  holds  green  all  the  winter.  Roanoke  river  is  divided  by  these  islands ; 
that  part  which  runs  on  the  north  side  is  about  eighty  yards,  and  that  on 
the  south  more  than  one  hundred.  A  large  fresh  will  overflow  the  lower 
part  of  these  islands,  but  never  covers  all,  so  that  the  cattle  may  always  re- 
cover a  place  of  security.  The  middlemost  island,  called  Occaneeche  island, 
has  several  fields  in  it  where  Occaneeche  Indians  formerly  lived,  and  there 
are  still  some  remains  of  the  peach  trees  they  planted.  Here  grow  likewise 
excellent  wild  hops  without  any  cultivation.  My  overseer,  Harry  Morris,  did 
his  utmost  to  entertain  me  and  my  company ;  the  worst  of  it  was,  we  were 
obliged  all  to  be  littered  down  in  one  room,  in  company  with  my  landlady 
and  four  children,  one  of  which  was  very  sick,  and  consequently  very  fretful. 

16th.  This  being  Sunday,  and  the  place  where  we  were  quite  out  of 
Christendom,  very  little  devotion  went  forward.  I  thought  it  no  harm  to 
take  a  Sabbath  day's  journey,  and  rode  with  my  overseer  to  a  new  entry  I 
had  made  upon  Blue  Stone  creek,  about  three  miles  from  the  castle,  and  found 
the  land  very  fertile  and  convenient.  It  consists  of  low  grounds  and  mea- 
dows on  both  sides  the  creek.  After  taking  a  view  of  this,  we  rode  two 
miles  farther  to  a  stony  place,  where  there  were  some  tokens  of  a  copper 
mine,  but  not  hopeful  enough  to  lay  me  under  any  temptation.  Then  we 
returned  to  the  company,  and  found  Tom  Wilson  was  come  according 
to  his  promise,  in  order  to  proceed  into  the  woods  along  with  us. 
Jo.  Colson  likewise  entered  into  pay,  having  cautiously  made  his  bargain 
for  a  pistole.  There  were  three  Tuskeruda  Indians,  (which  I  understood 
had  been  kept  on  my  plantation  to  hunt  for  Harry  Morris,)  that  with  much 
ado  were  also  persuaded  to  be  of  the  party.  My  landlady  could  not  forbear 
discovering  some  broad  signs  of  the  fury,  by  breaking  out  into  insolent  and 
passionate  expressions  against  the  poor  negroes.  And  if  my  presence  could 
not  awe  her,  I  concluded  she  could  be  very  outrageous  when  I  was  a  hun- 
dred miles  off.  This  inference  I  came  afterwards  to  understand  was  but 
too  true,  for,  between  the  husband  and  the  wife,  the  negroes  had  a  hard  time 
of  it. 

1 7th.  We  set  off  about  nine  from  Blue  Stone  Castle,  and  rode  up  the 
river  six  miles,  (one  half  of  which  distance  was  on  my  own  land,)  as  far  as 
major  Mumford's  quarter,  where  master  Hogen  was  tenant  upon  halves. 
Here  were  no  great  marks  of  industry,  the  weeds  being  near  as  high  as  the 
corn.  My  islands  run  up  within  a  little  way  of  this  place,  which  will  expose 
them  to  the  inroad  of  the  major's  creatures.  That  called  Totero  island  lies 
too  convenient  not  to  receive  damage  that  way ;  but  we  must  guard  against 


106  A  JOURNEY  TO 

it  as  well  as  we  can.  After  the  major  had  convinced  himself  of  the  idleness 
of  his  tenant,  he  returned  back  to  Blue  Stone,  and  Harry  Morris  and  I  went 
in  quest  of  a  fine  copper  mine,  which  he  had  secured  for  me.  in  the  fork. 
For  which  purpose,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  higher  than  Hogen's,  we  crossed 
a  narrow  branch  of  the  river  into  a  small  island,  not  yet  taken  up,  and  after 
traversing  that,  forded  a  much  wider  branch  into  the  fork  of  Roanoke  river. 
Where  we  landed  was  near  three  miles  higher  up  than  the  point  of  the  fork. 
We  first  directed  our  course  easterly  towards  that  point,  which  was  very 
sharp,  and  each  branch  of  the  river  where  it  divided  first  seemed  not  to  ex- 
ceed eighty  yards  in  breadth.  The  land  was  broken  and  barren  off  from 
the  river,  till  we  came  within  half  a  mile  of  the  point  where  the  low-grounds 
began.  The  same  sort  of  low  ground  ran  up  each  branch  of  the  river. 
That  on  the  Staunton  (being  the  northern  branch)  was  but  narrow,  but  that 
on  the  south,  which  is  called  the  Dan,  seemed  to  carry  a  width  of  at  least 
half  a  mile.  After  discovering  this  place,  for  which  I  intended  to  enter,  we 
rode  up  the  mid-land  five  miles  to  view  the  mine,  which  in  my  opinion  hardly 
answered  the  trouble  of  riding  so  far  out  of  our  way.  We  returned  down- 
wards again  about  four  miles,  and  a  mile  from  the  point  found  a  good 
ford  over  the  north  branch,  into  the  upper  end  of  Totero  island.  We 
crossed  the  river  there,  and  near  the  head  of  the  island  saw  a  large  quantity 
of  wild  hops  growing,  that  smelt  fragrantly,  and  seemed  to  be  in  great  per- 
fection. At  our  first  landing  we  were  so  hampered  with  brambles,  vines  and 
poke  bushes,  that  our  horses  could  hardly  force  their  way  through  them. 
However,  this  difficulty  held  only  about  twenty-five  yards  at  each  end  of  the 
island,  all  the  rest  being  very  level  and  free  from  underwood.  We  met  with 
old  fields  where  the  Indians  had  formerly  lived,  and  the  grass  grew  as  high 
as  a  horse  and  his  rider.  In  one  of  these  fields  were  large  duck  ponds,  very 
firm  at  the  bottom,  to  which  wild  fowl  resort  in  the  winter.  In  the  woody 
part  of  the  island  grows  a  vetch,  that  is  green  all  the  winter,  and  a  great 
support  for  horses  and  cattle,  though  it  is  to  be  feared  the  hogs  will  root  it 
all  up.  There  is  a  cave  in  this  island,  in  which  the  last  Totero  king,  with 
only  two  of  his  men,  defended  himself  against  a  great  host  of  northern  In- 
dians, and  at  last  obliged  them  to  retire.  We  forded  the  strait  out  of  this 
into  Occaneeche  island,  which  was  full  of  large  trees,  and  rich  land,  and  the 
south  part  of  it  is  too  high  for  any  flood  less  than  Noah's  to  drown,  we  rode 
about  two  miles  down  this  island,  (being  half  the  length  of  it,)  where  finding 
ourselves  opposite  to  Blue  Stone  Castle,  we  passed  the  river  in  a  canoe, 
which  had  been  ordered  thither  for  that  purpose,  and  joined  our  friends,  very 
much  tired,  not  so  much  with  the  length  of  the  journey,  as  with  the  heat  of 
the  weather. 

18th.  We  lay  by  till  the  return  of  the  messenger  that  we  sent  for  the  am- 
munition, and  other  things  left  at  the  court  house.  Nor  had  the  Indians  yet 
joined  us  according  to  their  promise,  which  made  us  begin  to  doubt  of  their 
veracity.  I  took  a  solitary  walk  to  the  first  ford  of  Blue  Stone  creek,  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  house.  This  creek  had  its  name  from  the  colour 
of  the  stones,  which  paved  the  bottom  of  it,  and  are  so  smooth  that  it  is  pro- 
bable they  will  burn  into  lime.  I  took  care  to  return  to  my  company  by 
dinner  time,  that  I  might  not  trespass  upon  their  stomachs.  In  the  afternoon 
I  was  paddled  by  the  overseer  and  one  of  my  servants  up  the  creek,  but 
could  proceed  little  farther  than  a  mile  because  of  the  shoal  water.  All  the 
way  we  perceived  the  bottom  of  the  creek  full  of  the  blue  stones  above  men- 
tioned, sufficient  in  quantity  to  build  a  large  castle.  At  our  return  we  went 
into  the  middle  of  the  river,  and  stood  upon  a  large  blue  rock  to  angle,  but 
without  any  success.  We  broke  off  a  fragment  of  the  rock,  and  found  it 
as  heavy  as  so  much  lead.     Discouraged  by  our  ill  luck,  we  repaired  to  the 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN.  J  07 

company,  who  had  procured  some  pieces  of  copper  ore  from  Cargil'S  mine, 
which  seemed  full  of  metal.  This  mine  lies  about  twelve  miles  higher  than 
major  Mumford's  plantation,  and  has  a  better  show  than  any  yet  discovered. 
There  are  so  many  appearances  of  copper  in  these  parts,  that  the  inhabitants 
seem  to  be  all  mine-mad,  and  neglect  making  of  corn  for  their  present  neces- 
sities, in  hopes  of  growing  very  rich  hereafter. 

19th.  The  heavens  lowered  a  little  upon  us  in  the  morning,  but,  like  a 
damsel  ruffled  by  too  bold  an  address,  it  soon  cleared  up  again.  Because  I 
detested  idleness,  I  caused  my  overseer  to  paddle  me  up  the  river  as  far  as 
the  strait  that  divides  Occaneeche  from  Totero  island,  which  is  about 
twenty  yards  wide.  There  runs  a  swift  stream  continually  out  of  the  south 
part  of  the  river  into  the  north,  and  is  in  some  places  very  deep.  We  crossed 
the  south  part  to  the  opposite  shore,  to  view  another  entry  I  had  made,  be- 
ginning at  Buffalo  creek  and  running  up  the  river  to  guard  my  islands^and 
keep  off  bad  neighbours  on  that  side.  The  land  seems  good  enough  for  corfr-v 
along  the  river,  but  a  quarter  of  a  mile  back  it  is  broken,  and  full  of  stones. 
After  satisfying  my  curiosity,  I  returned  the  way  that  I  came,  and  shot  the 
same  strait  back  again,  and  paddled  down  the  river  to  the  company. 
When  we  got  home,  we  laid  the  foundation  of  two  large  cities.  One  at 
Shacco's,  to  be  called  Richmond,  and  the  other  at  the  point  of  Appomattox 
river,  to  be  named  Petersburg.  These  major  Mayo  offered  to  lay  out  into 
lots  without  fee  or  reward.  The  truth  of  it  is,  these  two  places  being  the 
uppermost  landing  of  James  and  Appomattox  rivers,  are  naturally  intended 
for  marts,  where  the  traffic  of  the  outer  inhabitants  must  centre.  Thus  we  did 
not  build  castles  only,  but  also  cities  in  the  air.  In  the  evening  our  ammunition 
arrived  safe,  and  the  Indians  came  to  us,  resolved  to  make  part  of  our  com- 
pany, upon  condition  of  their  being  supplied  with  powder  and  shot,  and 
having  the  skins  of  all  the  deer  they  killed  to  their  own  proper  use. 

20th.  Every  thing  being  ready  for  a  march,  we  left  Blue  Stone  Castle 
about  ten.  My  company  consisted  of  four  gentlemen  (namely,  major  Mayo, 
major  Mumford,  Mr.  Banister  and  Mr.  Jones,)  and  five  woodsmen,  Thomas 
Wilson,  Henry  Morris,  Joseph  Colson,  Robert  Boiling  and  Thomas  Hooper, 
four  negroes  and  three  Tuscaruda  Indians.  With  this  small  troop  we  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river  as  far  as  Hogen's,  above  which,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile,  we  forded  into  the  little  island,  and  from  thence  into  the  fork  of  the 
river.  The  water  was  risen  so  high,  that  it  ran  into  the  top  of  my  boots, 
but  without  giving  me  any  cold,  although  I  rode  in  my  wet  stockings.  We 
landed  three  miles  above  the  point  of  the  fork,  and,  after  marching  three  miles 
farther,  reached  the  tenement  of  Peter  Mitchell,  the  highest  inhabitant  on 
Roanoke  river.  Two  miles  above  that  we  forded  a  water,  which  we  named 
Birche's  creek,  not  far  from  the  mouth,  where  it  discharges  itself  into  the 
Dan.  From  thence  we  rode  through  charming  low-grounds,  for  six  miles 
together,  to  a  larger  stream,  which  we  agreed  to  call  Banister  river.  We 
were  puzzled  to  find  a  ford  by  reason  the  water  was  very  high,  but  at  last 
got  safe  over,  about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  ftie  banks  of  the  Dan.  In  our 
way  we  killed  two  very  large  rattle-snakes,  one  of  fifteen  and  the  other  of 
twelve  rattles.  They  were  both  fat,  but  nobody  would  be  persuaded  to  car- 
ry them  to  our  quarters,  although  they  would  have  added  much  to  the 
luxury  of  our  supper.  We  pitched  our  tents  upon  Banister  river,  where  we 
feasted  on  a  young  buck  which  had  the  ill  luck  to  cross  our  way.  It  rained 
great  part  of  the  night,  with  very  loud  thunder,  which  rumbled  frightfully 
amongst  the  tall  trees  that  surrounded  us  in  that  low  ground,  but,  thank  God  ! 
without  any  damage.  Our  Indians  killed  three  deer,  but  were  so  lazy  they 
brought  them  not  to  the  camp,  pretending  for  their  excuse  that  they  were 
too  lean. 


") 


103  A  JOURNEY  TO 

21st.  The  necessity  of  drying  our  baggage  prevented  us  from  marching 
till  eleven  o'clock.  Then  we  proceeded  through  low-grounds  which  were 
tolerably  wide  for  three  miles  together,  as  far  as  a  small  creek,  named  by  us 
Morris'  creek.  This  tract  of  land  I  persuaded  Mr.  Banister  to  enter  for, 
that  he  might  not  be  a  loser  by  the  expedition.  The  low  grounds  held  good 
a  mile  beyond  the  creek,  and  then  the  highland  came  quite  to  the  river,  and 
made  our  travelling  more  difficult.  All  the  way  we  went  we  perceived  there 
had  been  tall  canes  lately  growing  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  but  were  uni- 
versally killed ;  and  inquiring  into  the  reason  of  this  destructton,  we  were 
told  that  the  nature  of  those  canes  was,  to  shed  their  seed  but  once  in  seven 
years,  and  the  succeeding  winter  to  die,  and  make  room  for  young  ones  to 
grow  up  in  their  places.  Thus  much  was  certain,  that  four  years  before  we 
saw  canes  grow  and  flourish  in  several  places,  where  they  now  lay  dead  and 
dry  upon  the  ground.  The  whole  distance  we  travelled  in  this  day  by  com- 
putation was  fifteen  miles,  and  then  the  appearance  of  a  black  cloud,  which 
threatened  a  gust,  obliged  us  to  take  up  our  quarters.  We  had  no  sooner 
got  our  tents  over  our  heads,  but  it  began  to  rain  and  thunder  furiously,  and 
one  clap  succeeded  the  lightning  the  same  instant,  and  made  all  tremble  be- 
fore it.  But,  blessed  be  God !  it  spent  its  fury  upon  a  tall  oak  just  by  our 
camp.  Our  Indians  were  so  fearful  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Catawbas, 
that  they  durst  not  lose  sight  of  us  all  day;  so  they  killed  nothing,  and  we 
were  forced  to  make  a  temperate  supper  upon  bread  and  cheese.  It  was 
strange  we  met  with  no  wild  turkeys,  this  being  the  season  in  which  great 
numbers  of  them  used  to  be  seen  towards  the  mountains.  They  commonly 
perched  on  the  high  trees  near  the  rivers  and  creeks.  But  this  voyage,  to 
our  great  misfortune,  there  were  none  to  be  found.  So  that  we  could  not 
commit  that  abomination,  in  the  sight  of  all  Indians,  of  mixing  the  flesh  of 
deer  and  turkeys  in  our  broth. 

22d.  We  were  again  obliged  to  dry  our  baggage,  which  had  been  thoroughly 
soaked  with  the  heavy  rain  that  fell  in  the  night.  While  we  stayed  for  that, 
our  hunters  knocked  down  a  brace  of  bucks,  wherewith  we  made  ourselves 
amends  for  our  scanty  supper  the  aforegoing  night.  All  these  matters  being 
duly  performed  made  it  near  noon  before  we  sounded  to  horse.  We  march- 
ed about  two  miles  over  fine  low-grounds  to  a  most  pleasant  stream,  which 
we  named  the  Medway,  and  by  the  way  discovered  a  rich  neck  of  highland 
that  lay  on  the  south  side  of  the  Dan,  and  looked  very  tempting.  Two  miles 
beyond  the  Medway,  we  forded  another  creek,  which  we  called  Maosty 
creek,  'the  whole  distance  between  these  two  streams  lay  exceeding  rich 
lands,  and  the  same  continued  two  miles  higher.  This  body  of  low-grounds 
tempted  me  to  enter  for  it,  to  serve  as  a  stage  between  my  land  at  the  fork, 
and  the  Land  of  Eden.  The  heavens  looked  so  menacing  that  we  resolved 
to  take  up  our  quarters  two  miles  above  Maosty  creek,  where  we  intrenched 
ourselves  on  a  rising  ground.  We  had  no  sooner  taken  these  precautions, 
but  it  began  to  rain  unmercifully,  and  to  put  out  our  fire  as  fast  as  we  could 
kindle  it;  nor  was  it  only  a  hasty  shower,  but  continued  with  great  impe- 
tuosity most  part  of  the  night.  We  preferred  a  dry  fast  to  a  wet  feast,  be- 
ing unwilling  to  expose  the  people  to  the  weather,  to  gratify  an  unreasonable 
appetite.  However  it  was  some  comfort,  in  the  midst  of  our  abstinence,  to 
dream  of  the  delicious  breakfast  we  intended  to  make  next  morning,  upon  a 
fat  doe  and  two-year-old  bear  our  hunters  had  killed  the  evening  before. 
Notwithstanding  all  the  care  we  could  take,  several  of  the  men  were  dripping 
wet,  and,  among  the  rest,  Harry  Morris  dabbled  so  long  in  the  rain,  that  he 
was  seized  with  a  violent  fit  of  an  ague  that  shook  him  almost  out  of  all  his 
patience. 

23d.  It  was  no  loss  of  time  to  rest  in  our  camp  according  to  the  duty  of 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN.  \QQ 

the  day,  because  our  baggage  was  so  wet  it  needed  a  whole  day  to  dry  it. 
For  this  purpose  we  kindled  four  several  fires,  in  the  absence  of  the  sun, 
which  vouchsafed  us  not  one  kind  look  the  whole  day.     My  servant  had  drop- 
ped his  great-coat  yesterday,  and  two  of  the  men  were  so  good-natured  as 
to  ride  back  and  look  for  it  to-day,  and  were  so  lucky  as  to  find  it.     Our  In- 
dians having  no  notion  of  the  sabbath,  went  out  to  hunt  for  something  for 
dinner,  and  brought  a  young  doe  back  along  with  them.    They  laughed  at  the 
English  for  losing  one  day  in  seven ;  though  the  joke  may  be  turned  upon 
them  for  losing  the  whole  seven,  if  idleness  and  doing  nothing  to  the  pur- 
pose may  be  called  loss  of  time.     I  looked  out  narrowly  for  ginseng,  this 
being  the  season  when  it  wears  its  scarlet  fruit,  but  neither  now  nor  any 
other  time  during  the  whole  journey  could  I  find  one  single  plant  of  it.     This 
made  me  conclude  that  it  delighted  not  in  quite  so  southerly  a  climate ;  and 
in  truth  I  never  heard  of  its  growing  on  this  side  of  thirty-eight  degrees  of 
latitude.     But  to  make  amends  we  saw  abundance  of  sugar  trees  in  all  these 
low-grounds,  which  the  whole  summer  long  the  woodpeckers  tap,  for  the 
sweet  juice  that  flows  out  of  them.     Towards  the  evening  a  strong  north- 
wester was  so  kind  as  to  sweep  all  the  clouds  away,  that  had  blackened  our 
sky,  and  moistened  our  skins,  for  some  time  past. 

24th.  The  rest  the  sabbath  had  given  us  made  every  body  alert  this  morn- 
ing, so  that  we  mounted  before  nine  o'clock.     This  diligence  happened  to  be 
the  more  necessary,  by  reason  the  woods  we  encountered  this  day  were  ex- 
ceedingly bushy  and  uneven.     At  the  distance  of  four  miles  we  forded  both 
branches  of  Forked  creek,  which  lay  within  one  thousand  pace's  from  each 
other.     My  horse  fell  twice  under  me,  but,  thank  God !  without  any  damage 
either  to  himself  or  his  rider ;  and  major  Mayo's  baggage  horse  rolled  down 
a  steep  hill,  and  ground  all  his  biscuit  to  rocahominy.     My  greatest  disaster 
was  that,  in  mounting  one  of  the  precipices,  my  steed  made  a  short  turn  and 
gave  my  knee  an  unmerciful  bang  against  a  tree,  and  I  felt  the  effects  of  it 
several  days  after.     However,  this  was  no  interruption  of  our  journey,  but 
we  went  merrily  on,  and  two  miles  farther  crossed  Peter's  creek,  and  two  miles 
after  that  Jones'  creek.     Between  these  creeks  was  a  good  breadth  of  low- 
grounds,  with  which  Mr.  Jones  was  tempted,  though  he  shook  his  head  at 
the  distance.     A  little  above  Jones'  creek,  we  met  with  a  pleasant  situation, 
where  the  herbage  appeared  more  inviting  than  usual.     The  horses  were  so 
fond  of  it  that  we  determined  to  camp  there,  although  the  sun  had  not  near 
finished  his  course.     This  gave  some  of  our  company  leisure  to  go  out  and 
search  for  the  place  where  our  line  first  crossed  the  Dan,  and  by  good  luck 
they  found  it  within  half  a  mile  of  the  camp.     But  the  place  was  so  altered 
by  the  desolation  which  had  happened  to  the  canes,  (which  had  formerly 
fringed  the  banks  of  the  river  a  full  furlong  deep,)  that  we  hardly  knew  it 
again.     Pleased  with  this  discovery,  I  forgot  the  pain  in  my  knee,  and  the 
whole  company  ate  their  venison  without  any  other  sauce  than  keen  appetite. 
25th.  The  weather  now  befriending  us,  we  despatched  our  little  affairs  in 
good  time,  and  marched  in  a  body  to  the  line.     It  was  already  grown  very 
dim,  by  reason  many  of  the  marked  trees  were  burnt  or  blown  down. 
However,  we  made  shift,  after  riding  little  more  than  half  a  mile,  to  find  it,  and 
having  once  found  it,  stuck  as  close  to  it  as  we  could.     After  a  march  of  two 
miles,  we  got  upon  Cane  creek,  where  we  saw  the  same  havoc  amongst  the 
old  canes  that  we  had  observed  in  other  places,  and  a  whole  forest  of  young 
ones  springing  up  in  their  stead.     We  pursued  our  journey  over  hills  and 
dales  till  we  arrived  at  the  second  ford  of  the  Dan,  which  we  passed  with  no 
other  damage  than  sopping  a  little  of  our  bread,  and  shipping  some  water  at 
the  tops  of  our  boots.     The  late  rains  having  been  a  little  immoderate,  had 
raised  the  water  and  made  a  current  in  the  river.     We  drove  on  four  miles 
P 


1]Q  A  JOURNEY  TO 

farther  to  a  plentiful  run  of  very  clear  water,  and  quartered  on  a  rising 
ground  a  bow-shot  from  it.  We  had  no  sooner  pitched  the  tents,  but  one  of 
our  woodsmen  alarmed  us  with  the  news  that  he  had  followed  the  track  of 
a  great  body  of  Indians  to  the  place  where  they  had  lately  encamped.  That 
there  he  had  found  no  less  than  ten  huts,  the  poles  whereof  had  green  leaves 
still  fresh  upon  them.  That  each  of  these  huts  had  sheltered  at  least  ten 
Indians,  who,  by  some  infallible  marks,  must  have  been  northern  Indians. 
That  they  must  needs  have  taken  their  departure  from  thence  no  longer  ago 
than  the  day  before,  having  erected  those  huts  to  protect  themselves  from  the 
late  heavy  rains.  These  tidings  I  could  perceive  were  a  little  shocking  to 
some  of  the  company,  and  particularly  the  little  major,  whose  tongue  had 
never  lain  still,  was  taken  speechless  for  sixteen  hours.  I  put  as  good  a 
countenance  upon  the  matter  as  I  could,  assuring  my  fellow  travellers,  that 
the  northern  Indians  were  at  peace  with  us,  and  although  one  or  two  of  them 
may  now  and  then  commit  a  robbery  or  a  murder,  (as  other  rogues  do,)  yet 
nationally  and  avowedly  they  would  not  venture  to  hurt  us.  And  in  case 
they  were  Catawbas,  the  danger  would  be  as  little  from  them,  because  they 
are  too  fond  of  our  trade  to  lose  it  for  the  pleasure  of  shedding  a  little  Eng- 
lish blood.  But  supposing  the  worst,  that  they  might  break  through  all  the 
rules  of  self-interest,  and  attack  us,  yet  we  ought  to  stand  bravely  on  our 
defence,  and  sell  our  lives  as  dear  as  we  could.  That  we  should  have  no 
more  fear  on  this  occasion,  than  just  to  make  us  more  watchful  and  better 
provided  to  receive  the  enemy,  if  they  had  the  spirit  to  venture  upon  us. 
This  reasoning  of  mine,  though  it  could  not  remove  the  panic,  yet  it  abated 
something  of  the  palpitation,  and  made  us  double  our  guard.  However,  I 
found  it  took  off  the  edge  of  most  of  our  appetites,  for  every  thing  but  the 
rum  bottle,  which  was  more  in  favor  than  ever,  because  of  its  cordial  quality. 
I  hurt  my  other  knee  this  afternoon,  but  not  enough  to  spoil  either  my 
dancing  or  my  stomach. 

26th.  We  liked  the  place  so  little  that  we  were  glad  to  leave  it  this  morn- 
ing as  soon  as  we  could.  For  that  reason  we  were  all  on  horseback  before 
nine,  and  after  riding  four  miles  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Sable  creek.  On 
the  eastern  bank  of  that  creek,  six  paces  from  the  mouth,  and  just  at  the 
brink  of  the  river  Dan,  stands  a  sugar  tree,  which  is  the  beginning  of  my 
fine  tract  of  land  in  Carolina,  called  the  Land  of  Eden.  I  caused  the  initial 
letters  of  my  name  to  be  cut  on  a  large  poplar  and  beech  near  my  corner, 
for  the  more  easy  finding  it  another  time.  We  then  made  a  beginning  of 
my  survey,  directing  our  course  due  south  from  the  sugar  tree  above- 
mentioned.  In  a  little  way  we  perceived  the  creek  forked,  and  the  western 
branch  was  wide  enough  to  merit  the  name  of  a  river.  That  to  the  east 
was  much  less,  which  we  intersected  with  this  course.  We  ran  southerly  a 
mile,  and  found  the  land  good  all  the  way,  only  towards  the  end  of  it  we  saw 
the  trees  destroyed  in  such  a  manner  that  there  were  hardly  any  left  to 
mark  my  bounds.  Having  finished  this  course,  we  encamped  in  a  charming 
peninsula,  formed  by  the  western  branch  of  the  creek.  It  contained  about 
forty  acres  of  very  rich  land,  gradually  descending  to  the  creek,  and  is  a  de- 
lightful situation  for  the  manor  house.  My  servant  had  fed  so  intemperate- 
ly  upon  bear,  that  it  gave  him  a  scouring,  and  that  was  followed  by  the  piles, 
which  made  riding  worse  to  him  than  purgatory.  But  anointing  with  the 
fat  of  the  same  bear,  he  soon  grew  easy  again. 

27th.  We  were  stirring  early  from  this  enchanting  place,  and  ran  eight 
miles  of  my  back  line,  which  tended  south  eighty-four  and  a  half  westerly. 
We  found  the  land  uneven,  but  tolerably  good,  though  very  thin  of  trees, 
and  those  that  were  standing  fit  for  little  but  fuel  and  fence-rails.  Some 
conflagration  had  effectually  opened  the  country,  and  made  room  for  the  air 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN,  }  J  J 

to  circulate.  We  crossed  both  the  branches  of  Lowland  creek,  and  sundry- 
other  rills  of  fine  water.  From  every  eminence  we  discovered  the  moun- 
tains to  the  north-west  of  us,  though  they  seemed  to  be  a  long  way  off. 
Here  the  air  felt  very  refreshing  and  agreeable  to  the  lungs,  having  no 
swamps  or  marshes  to  taint  it.  Nor  was  this  the  only  good  effect  it  had, 
but  it  likewise  made  us  very  hungry,  so  that  we  were  forced  to  halt  and 
pacify  our  appetites  with  a  frugal  repast  out  of  our  pockets,  which  we  wash- 
ed down  with  water  from  a  purling  stream  just  by.  My  knees  pained  me 
very  much,  though  I  broke  not  the  laws  of  travelling  by  uttering  the  least 
complaint.  Measuring  and  marking  spent  so  much  of  our  time,  that  we 
could  advance  no  further  than  eight  miles,  and  the  chain  carriers  thought 
that  a  great  way.  In  the  evening  we  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  low- 
grounds  of  the  river,  which  our  scouts  informed  us  was  but  two  hundred 
yards  ahead  of  us.  This  was  no  small  surprise,  because  we  had  flattered 
ourselves  that  this  back  line  would  not  have  intersected  the  Dan  at  all ;  but 
we  found  ourselves  mistaken,  and  plainly  perceived  that  it  ran  more  souther- 
ly than  we  imagined,  and  in  all  likelihood  pierces  the  mountains  where  they 
form  an  amphitheatre.  The-  venison  here  was  lean  ;  and  the  misfortune  was 
we  met  no  bear  in  so  open  a  country,  to  grease  the  way  and  make  it  slip 
down.  In  the  night  our  sentinel  alarmed  us  with  an  idle  suspicion  that  he 
heard  the  Indian  whistle,  (which  amongst  them  is  a  signal  for  attacking  their 
enemies.)  This  made  every  one  stand  manfully  to  his  arms  in  a  moment, 
and  I  found  no  body  more  undismayed  in  this  surprise  than  Mr.  Banister ; 
but  after  we  had  put  ourselves  in  battle  array,  we  discovered  this  whistle  to 
be  nothing  but  the  nocturnal  note  of  a  little  harmless  bird,  that  inhabits  those 
woods.  We  were  glad  to  find  the  mistake,  and  commending  the  sentinel  for 
his  great  vigilance,  composed  our  noble  spirits  again  to  rest  till  the  morning. 
However,  some  of  the  company  dreamed  of  nothing  but  scalping  all  the  rest 
of  the  night. 

28th.  We  snapped  up  our  breakfast  as  fast  as  we  could,  that  we  might 
have  the  more  leisure  to  pick  our  way  over  a  very  bad  ford  across  the  river. 
Though,  bad  as  it  was,  we  all  got  safe  on  the  other  side.  We  were  no  sooner 
landed,  but  we  found  ourselves  like  to  encounter  a  very  rough  and  almost 
impassable  thicket.  However,  we  scuffled  through  it  without  any  dismay  or 
-complaint.  This  was  a  copse  of  young  saplings,  consisting  of  oak,  hickory 
and  sassafras,  which  are  the  growth  of  a  fertile  soil.  We  gained  no  more 
than  two  miles  in  three  hours  in  this  perplexed  place,  and  after  that  had  the 
pleasure  to  issue  out  into  opener  woods.  The  land  was  generally  good, 
though  pretty  bare  of  timber,  and  particularly  we  traversed  a  rich  level  of  at 
least  two  miles.  Our  whole  day's  journey  amounted  not  quite  to  five  miles, 
by  reason  we  had  been  so  hampered  at  our  first  setting  out.  We  were  glad 
to  take  up  our  quarters  early  in  a  piece  of  fine  low-grounds,  lying  about  a 
mile  north  of  the  river.  Thus  we  perceived  the  river  edged  away  gently  to- 
wards the  south,  and  never  likely  to  come  in  the  way  of  our  course  again. 
Nevertheless,  the  last  time  we  saw  it,  it  kept  much  the  same  breadth  and 
depth  that  it  had  where  it  divided  its  waters  from  the  Staunton,  and  in  all 
likelihood  holds  its  own  quite  as  high  as  the  mountains. 

^  29th.  In  measuring  a  mile  and  a  half  farther  we  reached  the  lower  ford 
/of  the  Irvin,  which  branches  from  the  Dan  about  two  miles  to  the  south, 
south-east  of  this  place.  This  river  was  very  near  threescore  yards  over, 
and  in  many  places  pretty  deep.  From  thence,  in  little  more  than  a  mile,  we 
came  to  the  end  of  this  course,  being  in  length  fifteen  miles  and  eighty-eight 
poles.  And  so  far  the  land  held  reasonably  gOod ;  but  when  we  came  to 
run  our  northern  course  of  three  miles,  to  the  place  where  the  country  line 
intersects  the  same  Irvin  higher  up,  we  passed  over  nothing  but  stony  hills, 


112  A  JOURNEY  TO 

and  barren  grounds,  clothed  with  little  timber,  and  refreshed  with  less  water. 
All  my  hopes  were  in  the  riches  that  might  lie  under  ground,  there  being 
many  goodly  tokens  of  mines.  The  stones  which  paved  the  river,  both  by 
their  weight  and  colour,  promised  abundance  of  metal ;  but  whether  it  be 
silver,  lead  or  copper,  is  beyond  our  skill  to  discern.  We  also  discovered 
many  shows  of  marble,  of  a  white  ground,  with  streaks  of  red  and  purple. 
So  that  it  is  possible  the  treasure  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  may  make  ample 
amends  for  the  poverty  of  its  surface.  We  encamped  on  the  bank  of  this 
river,  a  little  below  the  dividing  line,  and  near  the  lower  end  of  an  island 
half  a  mile  long,  which,  for  the  metallic  appearances,  we  dignified  with  the 
name  of  Potosi.  In  our  way  to  this  place  we  treed  a  bear,  of  so  mighty  a 
bulk,  that  when  we  fetched  her  down  she  almost  made  an  earthquake.  But 
neither  the  shot  nor  the  fall  disabled  her  so  much,  but  she  had  like  to  have 
hugged  one  of  our  dogs  to  death  in  the  violence  of  her  embrace.  We 
exercised  the  discipline  of  the  woods,  by  tossing  a  very  careless  servant  in 
a  blanket,  for  losing  one  of  our  axes. 

30th.  This  being  Sunday,  we  were  glad  to  rest  from  our  labours ;  and,  to 
help  restore  our  vigour,  several  of  us  plunged  into  the  river,  notwithstand- 
ing it  was  a  frosty  morning.  One  of  our  Indians  went  in  along  with  us,  and 
taught  us  their  way  of  swimming.  They  strike  not  out  both  hands  together, 
but  alternately  one  after  another,  whereby  they  are  able  to  swim  both  far- 
ther and  faster  than  we  do.  Near  the  camp  grew  several  large  chestnut 
trees  very  full  of  chestnuts.  Our  men  were  too  lazy  to  climb  the  trees  for 
the  sake  of  the  fruit,  but,  like  the  Indians,  chose  rather  to  cut  them  down,  re- 
gardless of  those  that  were  to  come  after.  Nor  did  they  esteem  such  kind 
of  work  any  breach  of  the  sabbath,  so  long  as  it  helped  to  fill  their  bellies. 
One  of  the  Indians  shot  a  bear,  which  he  lugged  about  half  a  mile  for  the 
good  of  the  company.  These  gentiles  have  no  distinction  of  days,  but  make 
every  day  a  sabbath,  except  when  they -go  out  to  war  or  a  hunting,  and 
then  they  will  undergo  incredible  fatigues.  Of  other  work  the  men  do  none, 
thinking  it  below  the  dignity  of  their  sex,  but  make  the  poor  women  do  all 
the  drudgery.  They  have  a  blind  tradition  amongst  them,  that  work  was 
first  laid  upon  mankind  by  the  fault  of  a  female,  and  therefore  it  is  but  just 
that  sex  should  do  the  greatest  part  of  it.  This  they  plead  in  their  excuse  ; 
but  the  true  reason  is,  that  the  weakest  must  always  go  to  the  wall,  and 
superiority  has  from  the  beginning  -ungenerously  imposed  slavery  on  those 
who  are  not  able  to  resist  it. 

October  1.  I  plunged  once  more  into  the  river  Irvin  this  morning,  for  a 
small  cold  I  had  caught,  and  was  entirely  cured  by  it.  We  ran  the  three 
mile  course  from  a  white  oak  standing  on  my  corner  upon  the  western  bank 
of  the  river,  and  intersected  the  place,  where  we  ended  the  back  line  exactly, 
and  fixed  that  corner  at  a  hickory.  We  steered  south  from  thence  about  a 
mile,  and  then  came  upon  the  Dan,  which  thereabouts  makes  but  narrow 
low-grounds.  We  forded  it  about  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  westward  of  the 
place  where  the  Irvin  runs  into  it.  When  we  were  over,  we  determined  to 
ride  down  the  river  on  that  side,  and  for  three  lnik^sjgujjd  Jhe  high-land 
come  close  down  to  it,  pretty  barren  an^unevejnjpButthen  on  a  sudden 
the  scene  changed,  and  we  were  surprised  with  an  opening  of  large  extent, 
where  the  Sauro  Indians  once  lived,  who  had  been  a  considerable  nation. 
But  the  frequent  inroads  of  the  Senecas  annoyed  them  incessantly,  and 
obliged  them  to  remove  from  this  fine  situation  about  thirty  years  ago.  They 
then  retired  more  southerly,  as  far  as  Pee  Dee  river,  and  incorporated  with 
the  Kewawees,  where  a  remnant  of  them  is  still  surviving.  It  must  have 
been  a  great  misfortune  to  them  to  be  obliged  to  abandon  so  beautiful  a 
dwelling,  where  the  air  is  wholesome,  and  the  soil  equal  in  fertility  to  any  in 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN.  \  13 

the  world.  The  river  is  about  eighty  yards  wide,  always  confined  within 
its  lofty  banks,  and  rolling  down  its  waters,  as  sweet  as  milk,  and  as  clear  as 
crystal.  There  runs  a  charming  level,  of  more  than  a  mile  square,  that 
will  bring  forth  like  the  lands  of  Egypt,  without  being  overflowed  once  a 
year.  There  is  scarce  a  shrub  in  view  to  intercept  your  prospect,  but  grass 
as  high  as  a  man  on  horseback.  Towards  the  woods  there  is  a  gentle  ascent, 
till  your  sight  is  intercepted  by  an  eminence,  that  overlooks  the  whole  land- 
scape. This  sweet  place  is  bounded  to  the  east  by  a  fine  stream,  called 
Sauro  creek,  which  running  out  of  the  Dan,  and  tending  westerly,  makes  the 
whole  a  peninsula.  I  could  not  quit  this  pleasant  situation  without  regret,  but 
often  faced  about  to  take  a  parting  look  at  it  as  far  as  I  could  see,  and  so  in- 
deed did  all  the  rest  of  th e  company.  /IjiuFat  las! "  we  left  it  quit*  out  of  sight. 
and  continued  our  course  "down"  the  river,  till  where  it  intersects  my  back 
line,  which  was  about  five  miles  below  Sauro  town.  We  took  up  our  quar- 
ters at  the  same  camp  where  we  had  a  little  before  been  alarmed  with  the 
supposed  Indian  whistle,  which  we  could  hardly  get  out  of  our  heads. 
However,  it  did  not  spoil  our  rest ;  but  we  dreamed  all  night  of  the  delights 
of  Tempe  and  the  Elysian  fields. 

2d.  We  awoke  early  from  these  innocent  dreams,  and  took  our  way 
along  my  back  line  till  we  came  to  the  corner  of  it.  From  thence  we  slant- 
ed to  the  country  line,  and  kept  down  that  as  far  as  the  next  fording  place  of 
the  river,  making  in  the  whole  eighteen  miles.  We  breathed  all  the  way  in 
pure  air,  which  seemed  friendly  to  the  lungs,  and  circulated  the  .blood  and 
spirits  very  briskly.  Happy  will  be  the  people  destined  for  so  wholesome  a 
situation,  where  they  may  live  to  fulness  of  days,  and  which  is  much  better 
still,  with  much  content  and  gaiety  of  heart.  On  every  rising  ground  we 
faced  about  to  take  our  leave  of  the  mountains,  which  still  showed  their 
towering  heads.  The  ground  was  uneven,  rising  into  hills,  and  sinking 
into  valleys  great  part  of  the  way,  but  the  soil  was  good,  abounding  in  most 
places  with  a  greasy  black  mould.  We  took  up  our  quarters  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  river,  where  we  had  forded  it  at  our  coming  up.  One  of  our 
men,  Joseph  Colson  by  name,  a  timorous,  lazy  fellow,  had  squandered  away 
his  bread,  and  grew  very  uneasy  when  his  own  ravening  had  reduced  him 
to  short  allowance.  He  was  one  of  those  drones  who  love  to  do  little  and 
eat  much,  and  are  never  in  humour  unless  their  bellies  are  full.  According 
to  this  wrong  turn  of  constitution,  when  he  found  he  could  no  longer  revel 
in  plenty,  he  began  to  break ,  the  rules  by  complaining  and  threatening  to 
desert.  This  had  like  to  have  brought  him  to  the  blanket,  but  his  submission 
reprieved  him.  Though  bread  grew  a  little  scanty  with  us,  we  had  venison 
in  abundance,  which  a  true  woodsman  can  eat  contentedly  without  any 
bread  at  all.  But  bears'  flesh  needs  something  of  the  farinaceous,  to  make 
it  pass  easily  off  the  stomach.  In  the  night  we  heard  a  dog  bark  at  some 
distance,  as  we  thought,  when  we  saw  all  our  own  dogs  lying  about  the  fire. 
This  was  another  alarm  ;  but  we  soon  discovered  it  to  be  a  wolf,  which  will 
sometimes  bark  very  like  a  dog,  but  something  shriller. 

3d.  The  fine  season  continuing,  we  made  the  most  of  it  by  leaving  our 
quarters  as  soon  as  possible.  We  began  to  measure  and  mark  the  bounds 
of  major  Mayo's  land  on  the  south  of  the  country  line.  In  order  to  do  this 
we  marched  round  the  bent  of  the  river,  but  he  being  obliged  to  make  a 
traverse,  we  could  reach  no  farther  than  four  miles.  In  the  distance  of  about 
a  mile  from  where  we  lay,  we  crossed  Cliff  creek,  which  confined  its  stream 
within  such  high  banks  that  it  was  difficult  to  find  a  passage  over.  We 
kept  close  to  the  river,  and  two  miles  farther  came  to  Hixe's  creek,  where 
abundance  of  canes  lay  dry  and  prostrate  on  the  ground,  having  suffered 
in  the  late  septennial  slaughter  of  that  vegetable.   A  mile  after  that  we  forded 


114  A  -TOURNEY  TO 

another  stream,  which  we  called  Hatcher's  creek,  from  two  Indian  traders  of 
that  name,  who  used  formerly  to  carry  goods  to  the  Sauro  Indians.  Near 
the  banks  of  this  creek  I  found  a  large  beech  tree,  with  the  following  inscrip- 
tion cut  upon  the  bark  of  it,  "  J.  H.,  H.  H.,  B.  B.,  lay  here  the  24th  of  May,  1673." 
It  was  not  difficult  to  fill  up  these  initials  with  the  following  names,  Joseph 
Hatcher,  Henry  Hatcher  and  Benjamin  Bullington,  three  Indian  traders,  who 
had  lodged  near  that  place  sixty  years  before,  in  their  way  to  the  Sauro  town. 
But  the  strangest  part  of  the  story  was  this,  that  these  letters,  cut  in  the  bark, 
should  remain  perfectly  legible  so  long.  Nay,  if  no  accident  befalls  the  tree, 
which  appears  to  be  still  in  a  flourishing  condition,  I  doubt  not  but  this  piece 
of  antiquity  may  be  read  many  years  hence.  We  may  also  learn  from  it, 
that  the  beech  is  a  very  long-lived  tree,  of  which  there  are  many  exceedingly 
large  in  these  woods.  The  major  took  in  a  pretty  deal  of  rich  low-ground 
into  his  survey,  but  unhappily  left  a  greater  quantity  out,  which  proves  the 
weakness  of  making  entries  by  guess.  We  found  the  Dan  fordable  here- 
abouts in  most  places.  One  of  the  Indians  shot  a  wild  goose,  that  was  very 
lousy,  which  nevertheless  was  good  meat,  and  proved  those  contemptible 
tasters  to  be  no  bad  tasters.  However,  for  those  stomachs  that  were  so  un- 
happy as  to  be  squeamish,  there  was  plenty  of  fat  bear,  we  having  killed  two 
in  this  day's  march. 

4th.  I  caused  the  men  to  use  double  diligence  to  assist  major  Mayo  in  fix- 
ing the  bounds  of  his  land,  because  he  had  taken  a  great  deal  of  pains  about 
mine.  We  therefore  mounted  our  horses  as  soon  as  we  had  swallowed  our 
breakfast.  Till  that  is  duly  performed  a  woodsman  makes  a  conscience  of 
exposing  himself  to  any  fatigue.  We  proceeded  then  in  his  survey,  and 
made  an  end  before  night,  though'  most  of  the  company  were  of  opinion 
the  land  was  hardly  worth  the  trouble.  It  seemed  most  of  it  before  below 
the  character  the  discoverers  had  given  him  of  it.  We  fixed  his  eastern 
corner  on  Cocquade  creek,  and  then  continued  our  march,  over  the  hills  and 
far  away,  along  the  country  line  two  miles  farther.  Nor  had  we  stopped 
there,  unless  a  likelihood  of  rain  had  obliged  us  to  encamp  on  an  eminence 
where  we  were  in  no  danger  of  being  overflowed.  Peter  Jones  had  a  smart 
fit  of  an  ague,  which  shook  him  severely,  though  he  bore  it  like  a  man ;  but 
the  small  major  had  a  small  fever,  and  bore  it  like  a  child.  He  groaned  as 
if  he  had  been  in  labour,  and  thought  verily  it  would  be  his  fate  to  die  like 
a  mutinous  Israelite  in  the  wilderness,  and  be  buried  under  a  heap  of  stones. 
The  rain  was  so  kind  as  to  give  us  leisure  tp  secure  ourselves  against  it, 
but  came  however  time  enough  to  interrupt  our  cookery,  so  that  we  supped 
as  temperately  as  so  many  philosophers,  and  kept  ourselves  snug  within 
our  tents.  The  worst  part  of  the  story  was,  that  the  sentinels  could  hardly 
keep  our  fires  from  being  extinguished  by  the  heaviness  of  the  shower. 

5th.  Our  invalids  found  themselves  in  travelling  condition  this  morning, 
and  began  to  conceive  hopes  of  returning  home  and  dying  in  their  own  beds. 
We  pursued  our  journey  through  uneven  and  perplexed  woods,  and  in  the 
thickest  of  them  had  the  fortune  to  knock  down  a  young  buffalo,  two 
years  old.  Providence  threw  this  vast  animal  in  our  way  very  seasonably, 
just  as  our  provisions  began  to  fail  us.  And  it  was  the  more  welcome  too, 
because  it  was  change  of  diet,  which  of  all  varieties,  next  to  that  of  bed- 
fellows, is  the  most  agreeable.  We  had  lived  upon  venison  and  bear  until 
our  stomachs  loathed  them  almost  as  much  as  the  Hebrews  of  old  did  their 
quails.  Our  butchers  were  so  unhandy  at  their  business  that  we  grew  very 
lank  before  we  could  get  our  dinner.  But  when  it  came,  we  found  it  equal 
in  goodness  to  the  best  beef.  They  made  it  the  longer  because  they  kept 
sucking  the  water  out  of  the  guts,  in  imitation  of  the  Catawba  Indians,  upon 
the  belief  that  it  is  a  great  cordial,  and  will  even  make  them  drunk,  or  at 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN  ]  j  5 

least  very  gay.  We  encamped  upon  Hico  river,  pretty  high  up,  and  had 
much  ado  to  get  our  house  in  order,  before  a  heavy  shower  descended  upon 
us.  I  was  in  pain  lest  our  sick  men  might  suffer  by  the  rain,  but  might  have 
spared  myself  the  concern,  because  it  had  the  effect  of  a  cold  bath  upon 
them,  and  drove  away  their  distemper,  or  rather  changed  it  into  a  canine 
appetite,  that  devoured  all  before  it.  It  rained  smartly  all  night  long,  which 
made  our  situation  on  the  low-ground  more  fit  for  otters  than  men. 

6th.  We  had  abundance  of  drying  work  this  morning  after  the  clouds 
broke  away  and  showed  the  sun  to  the  happy  earth.  It  was  impossible  for 
us  to  strike  the  tents  till  the  afternoon,  and  then  we  took  our  departure,  and 
made  an  easy  march  of  four  miles  to  another  branch  of  Hico  river,  which 
we  called  Jesuit's  creek,  because  it  misled  us.  We  lugged  as  many  of  the 
dainty  pieces  of  the  buffalo  along  with  us  as  our  poor  horses  could  carry, 
envying  the  wolves  the  pleasure  of  such  luxurious  diet.  Our  quarters  were 
taken  upon  a  delightful  eminence,  that  scornfully  overlooked  the  creek,  and 
afforded  us  a  dry  habitation.  We  made  our  supper  on  the  tongue  and  udder 
of  the  buffalo,  which  were  so  good,  that  a  cardinal  legate  might  have  made 
a  comfortable  meal  upon  them  during  the  carnival.  Nor  was  this  all,  but 
we  had  still  a  rarer  morsel,  the  bunch  rising  up  between  the  shoulders  of  this 
animal,  which  is  very  tender  and  very  fat.  The  primings  of  a  young  doe, 
which  one  of  the  men  brought  to  the  camp,  were  slighted  amidst  these  dain- 
ties, nor  would  even  our  servants  be  fobbed  off  with  cates  so  common.  The 
low-grounds  of  this  creek  are  wide  in  many  places,  and  rich,  but  seem  to  lie 
within  reach  of  every  inundation;  and  this  is  commonly  the  case  with  most 
low-grounds,  that  lie  either  on  the  rivers  or  on  the  creeks  that  run  into  them. 
So  great  an  inconvenience  lessens  their  value  very  much,  and  makes  high- 
land, that  is  just  tolerable,  of  greater  advantage  to  the  owner.  There  he  will 
be  more  likely  to  reap  the  fruits  of  his  industry  every  year,  and  not  run  the 
risk,  after  all  his  toil,  to  see  the  sweat  of  his  brow  carried  down  the  stream, 
and  perhaps  many  of  his  cattle  drowned  into  the  bargain.  Perhaps  in  times 
to  come  people  may  bank  their  low-grounds  as  they  do  in  Europe,  to  confine 
the  water  within  its  natural  bounds  to  prevent  these  inconveniences. 

7th.  The  scarcity  of  bread,  joined  to  the  impatience  of  some  of  our  com- 
pany, laid  us  under  a  kind  of  necessity  to  hasten  our  return  home.  For 
that  reason  we  thought  we  might  be  excused  for  making  a  sabbath  day's 
journey  of  about  five  miles,  as  far  as  our  old  camp  upon  Sugar  Tree  creek. 
On  our  way  we  forded  Buffalo. creek,  which  also  empties  its  waters  into  Hico 
river.  The  woods  we  rode  through  were  open,  and  the  soil  very  promising, 
great  part  thereof  being  low-grounds,  full  of  tall  and  large  trees.  A  she 
bear  load  the  ill  luck  to  cross  our  way,  which  was  large  enough  to  afford 
us  several  luxurious  meals.  I  paid  for  violating  the  sabbath  by  losing  a  pair 
of  gold  buttons.  I  pitched  my  tent  on  the  very  spot  I  had  done  when  we 
ran  the  dividing  line  between  Virginia  and  Carolina.  The  beech  whose 
bark  recorded  the  names  of  the  Carolina  commissioners  was  still  standing, 
and  we  did  them  the  justice  to  add  to  their  names  a  sketch  of  their  characters. 
We  got  our  house  in  order  time  enough  to  walk  about  and  make  some  slight 
observations.  There  were  sugar  trees  innumerable  growing  in  the  low- 
grounds  of  this  creek,  from  which  it  received  its  name.  They  were  many  of 
them  as  tall  as  large  hickories,  with  trunks  from  fifteen  to  twenty  inches 
through.  The  woodpeckers,  for  the  pleasure  of  the  sweet  juice  which  these 
trees  yield,  pierce  the  bark  in  many  places,  and  do  great  damage,  though  the 
trees  live  a  great  while  under  all  these  wounds.  There  grows  an  infinite 
quantity  of  maidenhair,  which  seems  to  delight  most  in  rich  grounds.  The 
sorrel  tree  is  frequent  there,  whose  leaves,  brewed  in  beer,  are  good  in  drop- 
sies, green-sickness,  and  cachexies.     We  also  saw  in  this  place  abundance 


Jig  A  JOURNEY  TO 

of  papaw  trees,  the  wood  whereof  the  Indians  make  very  dry  on  purpose  to 
rub  fire  out  of  it.  Their  method  of  doing  it  is  this :  they  hold  one  of  these 
dry  sticks  in  each  hand,  and  by  rubbing  them  hard  and  quick  together,  rarify 
the  air  in  such  a  manner  as  to  fetch  fire  in  ten  minutes.  Whenever  they 
offer  any  sacrifice  to  their  God,  they  look  upon  it  as  a  profanation  to  make 
use  of  fire  already  kindled,  but  produce  fresh  virgin  fire  for  that  purpose, 
by  rubbing  two  of  these  sticks  together  that  never  had  been  used  before  on 
any  occasion. 

8th.  After  fortifying  ourself  with  a  bear  breakfast,  major  Mayo  took  what 
help  he  thought  necessary,  and  began  to  survey  the  land,  with  which  the 
commissioners  of  Carolina  had  presented  him  upon  this  creek.  After  running 
the  bounds,  the  major  was  a  little  disappointed  in  the  goodness  of  the  land, 
but  as  it  had  cost  him  nothing  it  could  be  no  bad  pennyworth,  as  his  upper 
tract  really  was.  While  that  business  was  carrying  on,  I  took  my  old  friend 
and  fellow  traveller,  Tom  Wilson,  and  went  to  view  the  land  I  had  entered 
for  upon  this  creek,  on  the  north  of  the  country  line.  We  rode  down  the 
stream  about  six  miles,  crossing  it  sundry  times,  and  found  very  wide  low 
grounds  on  both  sides  of  it,  only  we  observed,  wherever  the  low-grounds 
were  broad  on  one  side  the  creek,  they  were  narrow  on  the  other.  The 
highlands  we  were  obliged  to  pass  over  were  very  good,  and  in  some 
places  descended  so  gradually  to  the  edge  of  the  low-grounds,  that  they 
formed  very  agreeable  prospects  and  pleasant  situations  for  building.  About 
four  miles  from  the  line,  Sugar  Tree  creek  emptied  itseJf  into  the  Hico,  which 
with  that  addition  swelled  into  a  fine  river.  In  this  space  we  saw  the  most, 
and  most  promising  good  land  we  had  met  with  in  all  our  travels.  In  our 
way  we  shot  a  doe,  but  she  not  falling  immediately,  we  had  lost  our  game  had 
not  the  ravens,  by  their  croaking,  conducted  us  to  the  thicket  where  she  fell. 
We  plunged  the  carcass  of  the  deer  into  the  water,  to  secure  it  from  these 
ominous  birds  till  we  returned,  but  an  hour  afterwards  were  surprised  with 
the  sight  of  a  wolf  which  had  been  fishing  for  it,  and  devoured  one  side.  We 
knocked  down  an  ancient  she  bear  that  had  no  flesh  upon  her  bones,  so 
we  left  it  to  the  free-booters  of  the  forest.  In  coming  back  to  the  camp  we 
discovered  a  solitary  bull  buffalo,  which  boldly  stood  his  ground,  contrary  to 
the  custom  of  that  shy  animal,  we  spared  his  life,  from  a  principle  of  never 
slaughtering  an  innocent  creature  to  no  purpose.  However,  we  made  our- 
selves some  diversion,  by  trying  if  he  would  face  our  dogs.  He  was  so  far 
from  retreating  at  their  approach,  that  he  ran  at  them  with  great  fierceness, 
cocking  up  his  ridiculous  little  tail,  and  grunting  like  a  hog.  The  dogs  in  the 
mean  time  only  played  about  him,  not  venturing  within  reach  of  his  horns,  and 
by  their  nimbleness  came  off  with  a  whole  skin.  All  these  adventures  we 
related  at  our  return  to  the  camp,  and  what  was  more  to  the  purpose,  we 
carried  to  them  the  side  of  venison  which  the  wolf  had  vouchsafed  to  leave 
us.  After  we  had  composed  ourselves  to  rest,  our  horses  ran  up  to  our  camp 
as  fast  as  their  hobbles  would  let  them.  This  was  to  some  of  us  a  certain 
argument  that  Indians  were  near,  whose  scent  the  horses  can  no  more  en- 
dure than  they  can  their  figures  ;  though  it  was  more  likely  they  had  been 
scared  by  a  panther  or  some  other  wild  beast,  the  glaring  of  whose  eyes  are 
very  terrifying  to  them  in  a  dark  night. 

9th.  Major  Mayo's  survey  being  no  more  than  half  done,  we  were  obliged 
to  amuse  ourselves  another  day  in  this  place.  And  that  the  time  might  not 
be  quite  lost,  we  put  our  garments  and  baggage  into  good  repair.  I  for  my 
part  never  spent  a  day  so  well  during  the  whole  voyage.  I  had  an  imperti- 
nent tooth  in  my  upper  jaw,  that  had  been  loose  for  some  time,  and  made  me 
chew  with  great  caution.  Particularly  I  could  not  grind  a  biscuit  but  with 
much  deliberation  and  presence  of  mind.      Tooth-drawers  we  had  none 


THE  LAND  OP  EDEN.  \\f 

amongst  us,  nor  any  of  the  instruments  they  make  use  of.  However,  inven- 
tion supplied  this  want  very  happily,  and  I  contrived  to  get  rid  of  this  trou- 
blesome companion  by  cutting  a  caper.  I  caused  a  twine  to  be  fastened 
round  the  root  of  my  tooth,  about  a  fathom  in  length,  and  then  tied  the  other 
end  to  the  snag  of  a  log  that  lay  upon  the  ground,  in  such  a  manner  that 
I  could  just  stand  upright.  Having  adjusted  my  string  in  this  manner,  I 
bent  my  knees  enough  to  enable  me  to  spring  vigorously  off  the  ground,  as 
perpendicularly  as  I  could.  The  force  of  the  leap  drew  out  the  tooth  with 
so  much  ease  that  I  felt  nothing  of  it,  nor  should  have  believed  it  was  come 
away,  unless  I  had  seen  it  dangling  at  the  end  of  the  string.  An  under  tooth 
may  be  fetched  out  by  standing  off  the  ground  and  fastening  your  string  at 
due  distance  above  you.  And  having  so  fixed  your  gear,  jump  off  your 
standing,  and  the  weight  of  your  body,  added  to  the  force  of  the  spring,  will 
prize  out  your  tooth  with  less  pain  than  any  operator  upon  earth  could  draw 
it.  This  new  way  of  tooth-drawing,  being  so  silently  and  deliberately  per- 
formed, both  surprised  and  delighted  all  that  were  present,  who  could  not 
guess  what  I  was  going  about.  I  immediately  found  the  benefit  of  getting  rid 
of  this  troublesome  companion,  by  eating  my  supper  with  more  comfort  than 
I  had  done  during  the  whole  expedition. 

10th.  In  the  morning  we  made  an  end  of  our  bread,  and  all  the  rest  of 
our  provision,  so  that  now  we  began  to  travel  pretty  light.  All  the  company 
were  witnesses  how  good  the  land  was  upon  Sugar  Tree  creek,  because  we 
rode  down  it  four  miles,  till  it  fell  into  Hico  river.  Then  we  directed  our 
course  over  the  highland,  thinking  to  shorten  our  way  to  Tom  Wilson's 
quarter.  Nevertheless,  it  was  our  fortune  to  fall  upon  the  Hico  again,  and 
then  kept  within  sight  of  it  several  miles  together,  till  we  came  near  the 
mouth.  Its  banks  were  high  and  full  of  precipices  on  the  east  side,  but  it 
afforded  some  low-grounds  on  the  west.  Within  two  miles  of  the  mouth 
are  good  shows  of  copper  mines,  as  Harry  Morris  told  me,  but  we  saw  no- 
thing of  them.  It  runs  into  the  Dan  just  below  a  large  fall,  but  the  chain  of 
rocks  does  not  reach  quite  across  the  river,  to  intercept  the  navigation.  About 
a  mile  below  lives  Aaron  Pinston,  at  a  quarter  belonging  to  Thomas  Wilson, 
upon  Tewahominy  creek.  This  man  is  the  highest  inhabitant  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Dan,  and  yet  reckons  himself  perfectly  safe  from  danger.  And 
if  the  bears,  wolves,  and  panthers  were  as  harmless  as  the  Indians,  his  stock 
might  be  so  too.  Tom  Wilson  offered  to  knock  down  a  steer  for  us,  but  I 
would  by  no  means  accept  of  his  generosity.  However,  we  were  glad  of  a 
few  of  his  peas  and  potatoes,  and  some  rashers  of  his  bacon,  upon  which 
we  made  good  cheer.  This  plantation  lies  about  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of 
Tewahominy,  and  about  the  same  distance  from  the  mouth  of  Hico  river, 
and  contains  a  good  piece  of  land.  The  edifice  was  only  a  log  house,  af- 
fording a  very  free  passage  for  the  air  through  every  part  of  it,  nor  was  the 
cleanliness  of  it  any  temptation  to  lie  out  of  our  tents,  so  we  encamped  once 
more,  for  the  last  time,  in  the  open  field. 

1  lth.  I  tipped  our  landlady  with  what  I  imagined  a  full  reward  for  the 
trouble  we  had  given  her,  and  then  mounted  our  horses,  which  pricked  up 
their  ears  after  the  two  meals  they  had  eaten  of  corn.  In  the  distance  of 
about  a  mile  we  reached  the  Dan,  which  we  forded  with  some  difficulty  into 
the  fork.  The  water  was  pretty  high  in  the  river,  and  the  current  some- 
thing rapid,  nevertheless  all  the  company  got  over  safe,  with  only  a  little 
water  in  their  boots.  After  traversing  the  fork,  which  was  there  at  least  two 
good  miles  across,  we  forded  the  Staunton  into  a  little  island,  and  then  the 
narrow  branch  of  the  same  to  the  main  land.  We  took  major  Mumford's 
tenant  in  our  way,  where  we  moistened  our  throats  with  a  little  milk,  and 
then  proceeded  in  good  order  to*Blue  Stone  Castle.     My  landlady  received 

a 


j]g  A  JOURNEY  TO 

us  with  a  grim  sort  of  a  welcome,  which  1  did  not  expect,  since  I  brought 
her  husband  back  in  good  health,  though  perhaps  that  might  be  the  reason. 
It  is  sure  something  or  other  did  tease  her,  and  she  was  a  female  of  too  strong 
passions  to  know  how  to  dissemble.  However,  she  was  so  civil  as  to  get  us 
a  good  dinner,  which  I  was  the  better  pleased  with  because  Col.  Cock  and 
Mr.  Mumford  came  time  enough  to  partake  of  it.  The  colonel  had  been  sur- 
veying land  in  these  parts,  and  particularly  that  on  which  Mr.  Stith's  copper 
mine  lies,  as  likewise  a  tract  on  which  Cornelius  Cargill  has  fine  appearances. 
He  had  but  a  poor  opinion  of  Mr.  Stith's  mine,  foretelling  it  would  be  all 
labour  in  vain,  but  thought  something  better  of  Mr.  Cargill's.  After  dinner 
these  gentlemen  took  their  leaves,  and  at  the  same  time  I  discharged  two  of 
of  my  fellow  travellers,  Thomas  Wilson  and  Joseph  Colson,  after  having 
made  their  hearts  merry,  and  giving  each  of  them  a  piece  of  gold  to  rub 
their  eyes  with.  We  now  returned  to  that  evil  custom  of  lying  in  a  house, 
and  an  evil  one  it  is,  when  ten  or  a  dozen  people  are  forced  to  pig  together 
in  a  room,  as  we  did,  and  were  troubled  with  the  squalling  of  peevish,  dirty 
children  into  the  bargain. 

12th.  We  ate  our  fill  of  potatoes  and  milk,  which  seems  delicious  fare 
to  those  who  have  made  a  campaign  in  the  woods.  I  then  took  my  first 
minister,  Harry  Morris,  up  the  hill,  and  marked  out  the  place  where  Blue 
Stone  Castle  was  to  stand,  and  overlook  the  adjacent  country.  After  that  I 
put  my  friend  in  mind  of  many  things  he  had  done  amiss,  which  he  promised 
faithfully  to  reform.  I  was  so  much  an  infidel  to  his  fair  speeches,  (having 
been  many  times  deceived  by  them,)  that  I  was  forced  to  threaten  him  with 
my  highest  displeasure,  unless  he  mended  his  conduct  very  much.  I  also 
let  him  know,  that  he  was  not  only  to  correct  his  own  errors,  but  likewise 
those  of  his  wife,  since  the  power  certainly  belonged  to  him,  in  virtue  of  his 
conjugal  authority.  He  scratched  his  head  at  this  last  admonition,  from 
whence  I  inferred  that  the  gray  mare  was  the  better  horse.  We  gave  our 
heavy  baggage  two  hours'  start,  and  about  noon  followed  them,  and  in  twelve 
miles  reached  John  Butcher's,  calling  by  the  way  for  master  Mumford,  in 
order  to  take  him  along  with  us.  Mr.  Butcher  received  us  kindly,  and  we 
had  a  true  Roanoke  entertainment  of  pork  upon  pork,  and  pork  again  upon 
that.  He  told  us  he  had  been  one  of  the  first  seated  in  that  remote  part  of 
the  country,  and  in  the  beginning  had  been  forced,  like  the  great  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, to  live  a  considerable  time  upon  grass.  This  honest  man  set  a  mighty 
value  on  the  mine  he  fancied  he  had  in  his  pasture,  and  showed  us  some  of 
the  ore,  which  he  was  made  to  believe  was  a  gray  copper,  and  would  cer- 
tainly make  his  fortune.  But  there  is  a  bad  distemper  rages  in  those  parts, 
that  grows  very  epidemical.  The  people  are  all  mine  mad,  and  neglecting 
to  make  corn,  starve  their  families  in  hopes  to  live  in  great  plenty  hereafter. 
Mr.  Stith  was  the  first  that  was  seized  with  the  frenzy,  and  has  spread  the 
contagion  far  and  near.  As  you  ride  along  the  woods,  you  see  all  the  large 
stones  knocked  to  pieces,  nor  can  a  poor  marcasite  rest  quietly  in  its  bed  for 
these  curious  inquirers.  Our  conversation  ran  altogether  upon  this  darling 
subject,  until  the  hour  came  for  our  lying  in  bulk  together. 

13th.  After  breaking  our  fast  with  a  sea  of  milk  and  potatoes,  we  took 
our  leave,  and  I  crossed  my  landlady's  hand  with  a  piece  of  money.  She 
refused  tke  offer  at  first,  but,  like  a  true  woman,  accepted  of  it  when  it  was 
put  home  to  her.  She  told  me  the  utmost  she  was  able  to  do  for  me  was  a 
trifle  in  comparison  of  some  favour  I  had  formerly  done  her;  but  what  that 
favour  was,  neither  I  could  recollect,  nor  did  she  think  proper  to  explain. 
Though  it  threatened  rain,  we  proceeded  on  our  journey,  and  jogged  on  in 
the  new  road  for  twenty  miles,  that  is  as  far  as  it  was  cleared  at  that  time, 
and  found  it  would  soon  come  to  be  a  very  good  one  after  it  was  well 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN.  J  jg 

grubbed.  About  nine  miles  from  John  Butcher's,  we  crossed  Allen's  creek, 
four  miles  above  Mr.  Stith's  mine.  Near  the  mouth  of  this  creek  is  a  good 
body  of  rich  land,  whereof  Occaneeche  neck  is  a  part.  It  was  entered  for 
many  years  ago  by  Col.  Harrison  and  Col.  Allen,  but  to  this  day  is  held 
without  patent  or  improvement.  And  they  say  Mr.  Boiling  does  the  same, 
with  a  thousand  acres  lying  below  John  Butcher's.  After  beating  the  new 
road  for  twenty  miles,  we  struck  off  towards  Meherrin,  which  we  reached 
in  eight  miles  farther,  and  then  came  to  the  plantation  of  Joshua  Nicholson, 
where  Daniel  Taylor  lives  for  halves.  There  was  a  poor  dirty  house,  with 
hardly  any  thing  in  it  but  children,  that  wallowed  about  like  so  many  pigs. 
It  is  a  common  case  in  this  part  of  the  country,  that  people  live  worse  upon 
good  land ;  and  the  more  they  are  befriended  by  the  soil  and  the  climate, 
the  less  they  will  do  for  themselves.  This  man  was  an  instance  of  it,  for 
though  his  plantation  would  make  plentiful  returns  for  a  little  industry,  yet 
he  wanting  that,  wanted  every  thing.  The  woman  did  all  that  was  done  in 
the  family,  and  the  few  garments  they  had  to  cover  their  dirty  hides  were 
owing  to  her  industry.  We  could  have  no  supplies  from  such  neighbours  as 
these,  but  depended  on  our  own  knapsacks,  in  which  we  had  some  remnants 
of  cold  fowls  that  we  brought  from  Blue  Stone  Castle.  When  my  house 
was  in  order,  the  whole  family  came  and  admired  it,  as  much  as  if  it  had  been 
the  grand  vizier's  tent  in  the  Turkish  army. 

14th.  The  sabbath  was  now  come  round  again,  and  although  our  horses 
would  have  been  glad  to  take  the  benefit  of  it,  yet  we  determined  to  make 
a  Sunday's  journey  to  Brunswick  church,  which  lay  about  eight  miles  off. 
Though  our  landlord  could  do  little  for  us,  nevertheless,  we  did  him  all  the 
good  we  were  able,  by  bleeding  his  sick  negro,  and  giving  him  a  dose  of 
Indian  physic.  We  got  to  church  in  decent  time,  and  Mr.  Betty,  the  parson 
of  the  parish,  entertained  us  with  a  good  honest  sermon,  but  whether  he 
bought  it,  or  borrowed  it,  would  have  been  uncivil  in  us  to  inquire.  Be  that 
as  it  will,  he  is  a  decent  man,  with  a  double  chin  that  sits  gracefully  over  his 
band,  and  his  parish,  especially  the  female  part  of  it,  like  him  well.  We  were 
not  crowded  at  church,  though  it  was  a  new  tiling  in  that  remote  part  of  the 
country.  What  women  happened  to  be  there,  were  very  gim  and  tidy  in 
the  work  of  their  own  hands,  which  made  them  look  tempting  in  the  eyes  of 
us  foresters.  When  church  was  done,  we  refreshed  our  teacher  with  a  glass 
of  wine,  and  then  receiving  his  blessing,  took  horse  and  directed  our  course 
to  major  Embry's.  The  distance  thither  was  reputed  fifteen  miles,  but  ap- 
peared less  by  the  company  of  a  nymph  of  those  woods,  whom  innocence, 
and  wholesome  flesh  and  blood  made  very  alluring.  In  our  way  we  crossed 
Sturgeon  creek  and  Queocky  creek,  but  at  our  journey's  end  were  so  unlucky 
as  not  to  find  either  master  or  mistress  at  home.  However,  after  two  hours 
of  hungry  expectation,  the  good  woman  luckily  found  her  way  home,  and 
provided  very  hospitably  for  us.  As  for  the  major,  he  had  profited  so  much 
by  my  prescription,  as  to  make  a  journey  to  Williamsburg,  which  required 
pretty  good  health,  the  distance  being  little  short  of  one  hundred  miles. 

15th.  After  our  bounteous  landlady  had  cherished  us  with  roast  beef  and 
chicken-pie,  we  thankfully  took  leave.  At  the  same  time  we  separated  from 
our  good  friend  and  fellow  traveller,  major  Mayo,  who  steered  directly  home. 
He  is  certainly  a  very  useful,  as  well  as  an  agreeable  companion  in  the 
woods,  being  ever  cheerful  and  good-humoured,  under  all  the  little  crosses, 
disasters,  and  disappointments  of  that  rambling  life.  As  many  of  us  as  re- 
mained jogged  on  together  to  Sapponi  chapel,  where  I  thanked  major  Mum- 
ford  and  Peter  Jones  for  the  trouble  that  they  had  taken  in  this  long  journey. 
That  ceremony  being  duly  performed,  I  filed  off  with  my  honest  friend,  Mr. 
Banister,  to  his  habitation  on  Hatcher's  run,  which  lay  about  fourteeen  miles 


120  A  JOURNEY  TO 

from  the  chapel  above-mentioned.  His  good-humoured  little  wife  was  glad 
to  see  her  runaway  spouse  returned  in  safety,  and  treated  us  kindly.  It  was 
no  small  pleasure  to  me,  that  my  worthy  friend  found  his  family  in  good 
health,  and  his  affairs  in  good  order.  He  came  into  this  ramble  so  frankly, 
that  I  should  have  been  sorry  if  he  had  been  a  sufferer  by  it.  In  the  gaiety 
of  our  hearts  we  drank  our  bottle  a  little  too  freely,  which  had  an  unusual 
effect  on  persons  so  long  accustomed  to  simple  element;  We  were  both 
of  us  raised  out  of  our  beds  in  the  same  manner,  and  near  the  same  time, 
which  was  a  fair  proof  that  people  who  breath  the  same  air,  and  are  engaged 
in  the  same  way  of  living,  will  be  very  apt  to  fall  into  the  same  indispositions,, 
And  this  may  explain  why  distempers  sometimes  go  round  a  family,  without 
any  reason  to  believe  they  are  infectious,  according  to  the  superstition  of  the 
vulgar. 

16th.  After  pouring  down  a  basin  of  chocolate,  I  wished  peace  to  that 
house,  and  departed.  As  long  as  Mr.  Banister  had  been  absent  from  his 
family,  he  was  yet  so  kind  as  to  conduct  me  to  major  Mumford's,  and  which 
was  more,  his  wife  very  obligingly  consented  to  it.  The  major  seemed  over- 
joyed at  his  being  returned  safe  and  sound  from  the  perils  of  the  woods, 
though  his  satisfaction  had  some  check  from  the  change  his  pretty  wife  had 
suffered  in  her  complexion.  The  vermilion  of  her  cheeks  had  given  place  a 
little  to  the  saffron,  by  means  of  a  small  tincture  of  the  yellow  jaundice.  I 
was  sorry  to  see  so  fair  a  flower  thus  faded,  and  recommended  the  best  re- 
medy I  could  think  of.  After  a  refreshment  of  about  an  hour,  we  went  on  to 
Col.  Boiling's,  who  was  so  gracious  as  to  send  us  an  invitation.  As  much  in 
haste  as  I  was  to  return  to  my  family,  I  spent  an  hour  or  two  at  that  place, 
but  could  by  no  means  be  persuaded  to  stay  dinner,  nor  could  even  madam 
de  Graffenriedt's  smiles  on  one  side  of  her  face  shake  my  resolution.  From 
thence  we  proceeded  to  Col.  Mumford's,  who  seemed  to  have  taken  a  new 
lease,  were  any  dependence  to  be  upon  looks,  or  any  indulgence  allowed  to 
the  wishes  of  his  friends.  An  honester  a  man,  a  fairer  trader,  or  a  kinder 
friend,  this  country  never  produced :  God  send  any  of  his  sons  may  have  the 
grace  to  take  after  him.  We  took  a  running  repast  with  this  good  man, 
and  then  bidding  adieu  both  to  him  and  Mr.  Banister,  I  mounted  once  more, 
and  obstinately  pursued  my  journey  home,  though  the  clouds  threatened,  and 
the  heavens  looked  very  lowering.  I  had  not  passed  the  court-house  before  it 
began  to  pour  down  like  a  spout  upon  me.  Nevertheless,  I  pushed  forward 
with  vigour,  and  got  dripping  wet  before  I  could  reach  Merchant's  Hope  Point 
My  boat  was  there  luckily  waiting  for  me,  and  wafted  me  safe  over.  And 
the  joy  of  meeting  my iamily  in  health  made  me  in  a  moment  forget  all  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey,  as  much  as  if  I  had  been  husquenawed.  However, 
the  good  Providence  that  attended  me,  and  my  whole  company,  will  I  hope 
stick  fast  in  my  memory,  and  make  me  everlastingly  thankful. 


A  list  of  our  Company  of  all  sorts. 

Myself,  Thomas  Wilson,  Lawson, 

Major  Mayo,  Joseph  Colson,  Three  Indians, 

Major  Mumford,  Harry  Morris,  Three  negroes, 

Mr.  Banister,  Bobert  Boiling,  Twenty  horses, 

Mr.  Jones,  Thomas  Hooper,  Four  dogs, 


THE  LAND  OF  EDEN. 


121 


My  plat  of  twenty  thousand  acres  in  North  Carolina.     Surveyed  in  Septem- 
ber, 1733,  by  Mr.  Mayo,  being  fifteen  miles  long,  three  broad  at  the  west  end, 

and  one  at  the  east. 

Virginia. 


North  Carolina. 


a.  Cascade  creek. 


b.  Lowland  creek. 
e.  Sauro  creek. 


:.  Kishan  branch. 
,°  Sauro  town. 


d.  Sable  creek. 


An  account  of  the  distances  of  places. 


From  Westover  to  Col.  Mumford's, 

From  Col.  Mumford's  to  major  Mumford's,  - 

From  thence  to  Sapponi  chape], 

From  thence  to  major  Embry's  on  Nottoway, 

From  thence  to  Brunswick  court-house,     - 

From  thence  to  Meherrin  river, 

From  thence  to  the  ford  on  Roanoke, 

From  thence  to  Col.  Stith's  copper  mine, 

From  thence  to  Butcher's  creek,     - 

From  thence  to  Blue  Stone  Castle,     - 

From  thence  to  the  ford  into  the  fork,     - 

From  thence  to  Birche's  creek, 

From  thence  to  Banister  river, 

From  thence  to  Morris  creek,  - 

From  thence  to  the  Medway,        -        -        - 

From  thence  to  Maostie  creek, 

From  hence  to  Fork  creek, 

From  hence  to  Peter's  creek,    - 

From  hence  to  Jones'  creek, 

From  hence  to  the  first  ford  over  the  Dan, 

From  hence  to  Cane  creek, 

From  hence  to  the  second  ford  of  the  Dan, 

From  hence  to  the  mouth  of  Sable  creek, 

From  hence  to  the  south-east  corner  of  my  land, 

From  thence  to  the  Dan  on  my  back  line, 

From  thence  to  the  Irvin  on  my  back  line, 


16  miles, 

6 
20 
10 
15 

8 
12 
20 

6 
12 

7 

5 


14 

2 
6 
2 
2 

H 

44 


J  22  A  JOURNEY,  &.c. 

From  thence  to  my  south-west  corner,  ...  1  mile 

From  thence  to  my  corner  on  the  west  of  the  Irvin,    -  -       3 
From  thence  to  the  Dan  along  my  upper-line,         ...  4^ 


From  thence  to  the  mouth  of  the  Irvin,       -        -        -                 -  ■  l-J 

From  thence  to  Sauro  creek, '  2£ 

From  thence  to  where  my  back-line  crosses  the  Dan,          .        -  5 

From  thence  to  my  south-east  corner,    -        ...        -        -  8 

From  thence  to  Cliff  creek, 10 

From  thence  to  Hixe's  creek, 2 

From  thence  to  Hatcher's  creek, I 

From  thence  to  Cocquade  creek, 5 

From  thence  to  the  upper  ford  of  Hico  river,     -        -        -  '7 

From  thence  to  Jesuit's  creek, 4 

From  thence  to  where  the  line  cuts  Sugar  Tree  creek,         -        -  5 

From  thence  to  the  mouth  of  Sugar  Tree  creek,     -  4 

From  thence  to  the  mouth  of  Hico  river, 7 

From  thence  to  Wilson's  quarter  on  Tewahominy  creek,       -  1 

From  thence  to  the  Dan, 1 

From  thence  across'the  fork  to  the  Staunton,          ...  2 

From  thence  to  Blue  Stone  Castle, 7 

From  thence  to  Sandy  creek, 5 

From  thence  to  Mr.  Mumford's  plantation,          -        -        -        -  2 

From  thence  to  Butcher's  creek,     -        -         -         -         -        -  5 

From  thence  to  Allen's  creek, 9 

From  thence  to  Joshua  Nicholson's  on  Meherrin,     -        -         -  18 

From  thence  to  Brunswick  court-house, 8 

From  thence  to  Nottoway  bridge, 14 

From  thence  to  Sapponi  Chapel, 10 

From  thence  to  Mr.  Banister's  on  Hatcher's  run,     -        -         -  12 

From  thence  to  Col.  Boiling's  plantation, 9 

From  thence  to  Col.  Mumford's  plantation,     -         -         -    >     -  5 

From  thence  to  West  over, 16 


212 


■184 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES, 


IN  THE  YEAR   1732. 


September  18th.  For  the  pleasure  of  the  good  company  of  Mrs.  Byrd, 
and  her  little  governor,  my  son,  I  went  about  half  way  to  the  falls  in  the 
chariot.  There  we  halted,  not  far  from  a  purling  stream,  and  upon  the 
stump  of  a  propagate  oak  picked  the  bones  of  a  piece  of  roast  beef.  By 
the  spirit  which  that  gave  me,  I  was  the  better  able  to  part  with  the  dear 
companions  of  my  travels,  and  to  perform  the  rest  of  my  journey  on  horse- 
back by  myself.  I  reached  Shacco's  before  two  o'clock,  and  crossed  the 
river  to  the  mills.  I  had  the  grief  to  find  them  both  stand  as  still,  for  the  want 
of  water,  as  a  dead  woman's  tongue,  for  want  of  breath.  It  had  rained 
so  little  for  many  weeks  above  the  falls,  that  the  Naiades  had  hardly  water 
enough  left  to  wash  their  faces.  However,  as  we  ought  to  turn  all  our  mis- 
fortunes to  the  best  advantage,  I  directed  Mr.  Booker,  my  first  minister 
there,  to  make  use  of  the  lowness  of  the  water  for  blowing  up  the  rocks  at 
the  mouth  of  the  canal.  For  that  purpose  I  ordered  iron  drills  to  be  made 
about  two  feet  long,  pointed  with  steel,  chisel  fashion,  in  order  to  make 
holes,  into  which  we  put  our  cartridges  of  powder,  containing  each  about  three 
ounces.  There  wanted  skill  among  my  engineers  to  choose  the  best  parts  of 
the  stone  for  boring,  that  we  might  blow  to  the  most  advantage.  They 
made  all  their  holes  quite  perpendicular,  whereas  they  should  have  humoured 
the  grain  of  the  stone  for  the  more  effectual  execution.  I  ordered  the  points 
of  the  drills  to  be  made  chisel  way,  rather  than  the  diamond,  that  they  might 
need  to  be  seldomer  repaired,  though  in  stone  the  diamond  points  would 
make  the  most  despatch.  The  water  now  flowed  out  of  the  river  so  slowly, 
that  the  miller  was  obliged  to  pond  it  up  in  the  canal,  by  setting  open  the 
flood-gates  at  the  mouth,  and  shutting  those  close  at  the  mill.  By  this  con- 
trivance, he  was  able  at  any  time  to  grind  two  or  three  bushels,  either  for  his 
choice  customers,  or  for  the  use  of  my  plantations.  Then  I  walked  to  the 
place  where  they  broke  the  flax,  which  is  wrought  with  much  greater  ease 
than  the  hemp,  and  is  much  better  for  spinning.  From  thence  I  paid  a  visit 
to  the  weaver,  who  needed  a  little  of  Minerva's  inspiration  to  make  the  most 
of  a  piece  of  cloth.  Then  I  looked  in  upon  my  Caledonian  spinster,  who  was 
mended  more  in  her  looks  than  in  her  humour.  However,  she  promised 
much,  though  at  the  same  time  intended  to  perform  little.  She  is  too  high- 
spirited  for  Mr.  Booker,  who  hates  to  have  his  sweet  temper  ruffled,  and  will 
rather  suffer  matters  to  go  a  little  wrong  sometimes,  than  give  his 
righteous  spirit  any  uneasiness.  He  is  very  honest,  and  would  make  an 
admirable  overseer  where  servants  will  do  as  they  are  bid.  But  eye-servants, 
who  want  abundance  of  overlooking,  are  not  so  proper  to  be  committed  to 
his  care.  I  found  myself  out  of  order,  and  for  that  reason  retired  early ;  yet 
with  all  this  precaution  had  a  gentle  fever  in  the  night,  but  towards  morning 
nature  set  open  all  her  gates,  and  drove  it  out  in  a  plentiful  perspiration. 


124  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

19th.  The  worst  of  this  fever  was,  that  it  put  me  to  the  necessity  of 
taking  another  ounce  of  bark.  I  moistened  every  dose  with  a  little  brandy, 
and  filled  the  glass  up  with  water,  which  is  the  least  nauseous  way  of  taking 
this  popish  medicine,  and  besides  hinders  it  from  purging.  After  I  had 
swallowed  a  few  poached  eggs,  we  rode  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  canal,  and 
from  thence  crossed  over  to  the  broad  rock  island  in  a  canoe.  Our  errand 
was  to  view  some  iron  ore,  which  we  dug  up  in  two  places.  That  on  the 
surface  seemed  very  spongy  and  poor,  which  gave  us  no  great  encourage- 
ment to  search  deeper,  nor  did  the  quantity  appear  to  be  very  great.  How- 
ever, for  my  greater  satisfaction,  I  ordered  a  hand  to  dig  there  for  some  time 
this  winter.  We  walked  from  one  end  of  the  island  to  the  other,  being  about 
half  a  mile  in  length,  and  found  the  soil  very  good,  and  too  high  for  any  flood, 
less  than  that  of  Deucalion,  to  do  the  least  damage.  There  is  a  very  wild 
prospect  both  upward  and  downward,  the  river  being  full  of  rocks,  over 
which  the  stream  tumbled  with  a  murmur,  loud  enough  to  drown  the  notes 
of  a  scolding  wife.  This  island  would  make  an  agreeable  hermitage  for  any 
good  Christian,  who  had  a  mind  to  retire  from  the  world.  Mr.  Booker  told 
me  how  Dr.  Ireton  had  cured  him  once  of  a  looseness,  which  had  been  upon 
him  two  whole  years.  He  ordered  him  a  dose  of  rhubarb,  with  directions  to 
take  twenty-five  drops  of  laudanum  so  soon  as  he  had  had  two  physical 
stools.  Then  he  rested  one  day,  and  the  next  he  ordered  him  another  dose 
of  the  same  quantity  of  laudanum  to  be  taken,  also  after  the  second  stool. 
When  this  was  done,  he  finished  the  cure  by  giving  him  twenty  drops  of 
laudanum  every  night  for  five  nights  running.  The  doctor  insisted  upon  the 
necessity  of  stopping  the  operation  of  the  rhubarb  before  it  worked  quite  off, 
that  what  remained  behind  might  strengthen  the  bowels.  I  was  punctual  in 
swallowing  my  bark,  and  that  I  might  use  exercise  upon  it,  rode  to  Prince's 
Folly,  and  my  Lord's  islands,  where  I  saw  very  fine  corn.  In  the  mean  time 
Vulcan  came,  in  order  to  make  the  drills  for  boring  the  rocks,  and  gave 
me  his  parole  he  would,  by  the  grace  of  God,  attend  the  works  till  they  were 
finished,  which  he  performed  as  lamely  as  if  he  had  been  to  labour  for  a 
dead  horse,  and  not  for  ready  money.  I  made  a  North  Carolina  dinner  upon 
fresh  pork,  though  we  had  a  plate  of  green  peas  after  it,  by  way  of  desert,  for 
the  safety  of  our  noses.  Then  my  first  minister  and  I  had  some  serious  con- 
versation about  my  affairs,  and  I  find  nothing  disturbed  his  peaceable  spirit 
so  much  as  the  misbehavior  of  the  spinster  above-mentioned.  I  told  him  I 
could  not  pity  a  man,  who  had  it  always  in  his  power  to  do  himself  and  her 
justice,  and  would  not.  If  she  were  a  drunkard,  a  scold,  a  thief,  or  a  slander- 
er, we  had  wholesome  laws,  that  would  make  her  back  smart  for  the  diver- 
sion of  her  other  members,  and  it  was  his  fault  he  had  not  put  those  whole- 
some severities  in  execution.  I  retired  in  decent  time  to  my  own  apartment, 
and  slept  very  comfortably  upon  my  bark,  forgetting  all  the  little  crosses 
arising  from  overseers  and  negroes. 

20th.  I  continued  the  bark,  and  then  tossed  down  my  poached  eggs,  with  as 
much  ease  as  some  good  breeders  slip  children  into  the  world.  About  nine 
I  left  the  prudentest  orders  I  could  think  of  with  my  vizier,  and  then  crossed  . 
the  river  to  Shacco's.  I  made  a  running  visit  to  three  of  my  quarters,  where, 
besides  finding  all  the  people  well,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  see  better  crops  than 
usual  both  of  corn  and  tobacco.  I  parted  there  with  my  intendant,  and  pur- 
sued my  journey  to  Mr.  Randolph's,  at  Tuckahoe,  without  meeting  with  any 
adventure  by  the  way.  Here  I  found  Mrs.  Fleming,  who  was  packing  up 
her  baggage  with  design  to  follow  her  husband  the  next  day,  who  was  gone 
to  a  new  settlement  in  Goochland.  Both  he  and  she  have  been  about  seven 
years  persuading  themselves  to  remove  to  that  retired  part  of  the  country, 
though  they  had  the  two  strong  arguments  of  health  and  interest  for  so  doing. 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  125 

The  widow  smiled  graciously  upon  me,  and  entertained  me  very  handsomely. 
Here  1  learned  all  the  tragical  story  of  her  daughter's  humble  marriage  with 
her  uncle's  overseer.  Besides  the  meanness  of  this  mortal's  aspect,  the  man 
has  not  one  visible  qualification,  except  impudence,  to  recommend  him  to  a 
female's  inclinations.  But  there  is  sometimes  such  a  charm  in  that  Hibernian 
endowment,  that  frail  woman  cannot  withstand  it,  though  it  stand  alone 
without  any  other  recommendation.  Had  she  run  away  with  a  gentleman 
or  a  pretty  fellow,  there  might  have  been  some  excuse  for  her,  though  he 
were  of  inferior  fortune :  but  to  stoop  to  a  dirty  plebeian,  without  any  kind 
of  merit,  is  the  lowest  prostitution.  I  found  the  family  justly  enraged  at  it ; 
and  though  I  had  more  good  nature  than  to  join  in  her  condemnation,  yet  I 
could  devise  no  excuse  for  so  senseless  a  prank  as  this  young  gentlewoman  had 
played.  Here  good  drink  was  more  scarce  than  good  victuals,  the  family 
being  reduced  to  the  last  bottle  of  wine,  which  was  therefore  husbanded  very 
carefully.  But  the  water  was  excellent.  The  heir  of  the  family  did  not 
come  home  till  late  in  the  evening.  He  is  a  pretty  young  man,  but  had  the 
misfortune  to  become  his  own  master  too  soon.  This  puts  young  fellows 
upon  wrong  pursuits,  before  they  have  sense  to  judge  rightly  for  themselves. 
Though  at  the  same  time  they  have  a  strange  conceit  of  their  own  sufficiency, 
when  they  grow  near  twenty  years  old,  especially  if  they  happen  to  have  a 
small  smattering  of  learning.  It  is  then  they  fancy  themselves  wiser  than 
all  their  tutors  and  governors,  which  makes  them  headstrong  to  all  advice, 
and  above  all  reproof  and  admonition. 

21st.  I  was  sorry  in  the  morning  to  find  myself  stopped  in  my  career  by 
bad  weather  brought  upon  us  by  a  north-east  wind.  This  drives  a  world 
of  raw  unkindly  vapours  upon  us  from  Newfoundland,  laden  with  blight, 
coughs,  and  pleurisies.  However,  I  complained  not,  lest  I  might  be  sus- 
pected to  be  tired  of  the  good  company.  Though  Mrs.  Fleming  was  not 
so  much  upon  her  guard,  but  mutinied  strongly  at  the  rain,  that  hindered 
her  from  pursuing  her  dear  husband.  I  said  what  I  could  to  comfort  a  gen- 
tlewoman under  so  sad  a  disappointment.  I  told  her  a  husband,  that  stayed 
so  much  at  home  as  her's  did,  could  be  no  such  violent  rarity,  as  for  a  wo- 
man to  venture  her  precious  health,  to  go  daggling  through  the  rain  after 
him,  or  to  be  miserable  if  she  happened  to  be  prevented.  That  it  was 
prudent  for  married  people  to  fast  sometimes  from  one  another,  that  they 
might  come  together  again  with  the  better  stomach.  That  the  best  things  in 
this  world,  if  constantly  used,  are  apt  to  be  cloying,  which  a  little  absence 
and  abstinence  would  prevent.  This  was  strange  doctrine  to  a  fond  female, 
who  fancies  people  should  love  with  as  little  reason  after  marriage  as  before. 
In  the  afternoon  monsieur  Marij,  the  minister  of  the  parish,  came  to  make  me 
a  visit.  He  had  been  a  Romish  priest,  but  found  reasons,  either  spiritual  or 
temporal,  to  quit  that  gay  religion.  The  fault  of  this  new  convert  is,  that  he 
looks  for  as  much  respect  from  his  protestant  flock,  as  is  paid  to  the  popish 
clergy,  which  our  ill-bred  Hugonots  do  not  understand.  Madam  Marij,  had 
so  much  curiosity  as  to  want  to  come  too ;  but  another  horse  was  wanting, 
and  she  believed  it  would  have  too  vulgar  an  air  to  ride  behind  her  husband. 
This  woman  was  of  the  true  exchange  breed,  full  of  discourse,  but  void  of 
discretion,  and  married  a  parson,  with  the  idle  hopes  he  might  some  time  or 
other  come  to  be  his  grace  of  Canterbury.  The  gray  mare  is  the  better 
horse  in  that  family,  and  the  poor  man  submits  to  her  wild  vagaries  for  peace' 
sake.  She  has  just  enough  of  the  fine  lady,  to  run  in  debt,  and  be  of  no 
signification  in  her  household.  And  the  only  thing  that  can  prevent  her 
from  undoing  her  loving  .husband  will  be,  that  nobody  will  trust  them  beyond 
the  sixteen  thousand,*  which  is  soon  run  out  in  a  Goochland  store.     The 

*  Sixteen  thousand  pounds  of  tobacco  w?.s  the  legal  :alary  of  a  minister. — Ed. 
R 


|25  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

way  of  dealing  there  is,  for  some  small  merchant  or  pedler  to  buy  a  Scots 
pennyworth  of  goods,  and  clap  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent,  upon  that. 
At  this  rate  the  parson  cannot  be  paid  much  more  for  his  preaching  than  it 
is  worth.  No  sooner  was  our  visiter  retired,  but  the  facetious  widow  was 
so  kind  as  to  let  me  into  all  this  secret  history,  but  was  at  the  same  time 
exceedingly  sorry  that  the  woman  should  be  so  indiscreet,  and  the  man  so 
tame  as  to  be  governed  by  an  unprofitable  and  fantastical  wife. 

22d.  We  had  another  wet  day,  to  try  both  Mrs.  Fleming's  patience  and 
my  good  breeding.  The  north-east  wind  commonly  sticks  by  us  three  or 
four  days,  filling  the  atmosphere  with  damps,  injurious  both  to  man  and 
beast.  The  worst  of  it  was,  we  had  no  good  liquor  to  warm  our  blood,  and 
fortify  our  spirits  against  so  strong  a  malignity.  However,  I  was  cheerful 
under  all  these  misfortunes,  and  expressed  no  concern  but  a  decent  fear  lest 
my  long  visit  might  be  troublesome.  Since  I  was  like  to  have  thus  much 
leisure,  I  endeavoured  to  find  out  what  subject  a  dull  married  man  could 
introduce  that  might  best  bring  the  widow  to  the  use  of  her  tongue.  At 
length  I  discovered  she  was  a  notable  quack,  and  therefore  paid  that  regard 
to  her  knowledge,  as  to  put  some  questions  to  her  about  the  bad  distemper 
that  raged  then  in  the  country.  I  mean  the  bloody  flux,  that  was  brought 
us  in  the  negro-ship  consigned  to  Col.  Braxton.  She  told  me  she  made  use 
of  very  simple  remedies  in  that  case,  with  very  good  success.  She  did  the 
business  either  with  hartshorn  drink,  that  had  plantain  leaves  boiled  in  it, 
or  else  with  a  strong  decoction  of  St.  Andrew's  cross,  in  new  milk  instead 
of  water.  I  agreed  with  her  that  those  remedies  might  be  very  good,  but 
would  be  more  effectual  after  a  dose  or  two  of  Indian  physic.  But  for  fear 
this  conversation  might  be  too  grave  for  a  widow,  I  turned  the  discourse, 
and  began  to  talk  of  plays,  and  finding  her  taste  lay  most  towards  comedy, 
I  offered  my  service  to  read  one  to  her,  which  she  kindly  accepted.  She 
produced  the  second  part  of  the  Beggar's  Opera,  which  had  diverted  the 
town  for  forty  nights  successively,  and  gained  four  thousand  pounds  to  the 
author.  This  was  not  owing  altogether  to  the  wit  or  humour  that  spark- 
led in  it,  but  to  some  political  reflections,  that  seemed  to  hit  the  minis- 
try. But  the  great  advantage  of  the  author  was,  that  his  interest  was  so- 
licited by  the  dutchess  of  Queensbury,  which  no  man  could  refuse  who  had 
but  half  an  eye  in  his  head,  or  half  a  guinea  in  his  pocket.  Her  grace,  like 
death,  spared  nobody,  but  even  took  my  lord  Selkirk  in  for  two  guineas,  to 
repair  which  extravagance  he  lived  upon  Scots  herrings  two  months  after- 
wards. But  the  best  story  was,  she  made  a  very  smart  officer  in  his  majes- 
ty's guards  give  her  a  guinea,  who  swearing  at  the  same  time  it  was  all  he 
had  in  the  world,  she  sent  him  fifty  for  it  the  next  day,  to  reward  his  obe- 
dience. After  having  acquainted  my  company  with  the  history  of  the  play, 
I  read  three  acts  of  it,  and  left  Mrs.  Fleming  and  Mr.  Randolph  to  finish  it, 
who  read  as  well  as  most  actors  do  at  a  rehearsal.  Thus  we  killed  the  time, 
and  triumphed  over  the  bad  weather. 

23d.  The  clouds  continued  to  drive  from  the  north-east,  and  to  menace  us 
with  more  rain.  But  as  the  lady  resolved  to  venture  through  it,  I  thought  it 
a  shame  for  me  to  venture  to  flinch.  Therefore,  after  fortifying  myself  with 
two  capacious  dishes  of  coffee,  and  making  my  compliments  to  the  ladies, 
I  mounted,  and  Mr.  Randolph  was  so  kind  as  to  be  my  guide.  At  the  dis- 
tance of  about  three  miles,  in  a  path  as  narrow  as  that  which  leads  to  heaven, 
but  much  more  dirty,  we  reached  the  homely  dwelling  of  the  reverend  Mr. 
Marij.  His  land  is  much  more  barren  than  his  wife,  and  needs  all  Mr. 
Bradley's  skill  in  agriculture  to  make  it  bring  corn..  Thence  we  proceeded 
five  miles  farther,  to  a  mill  of  Mr.  Randolph's,  that  is  apt  to  stand  still  when 
there  falls  but  little  rain,  and  to  be  carried  away  when  there  falls  a  great 
deal.     Then  we  pursued  a  very  blind  path  four  miles  farther,  which  puz- 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  j27 

sled  my  guide,  who  I  suspect  led  me  out  of  the  way.     At  length  we  came 
into  a  great  road,  where  he  took  leave,  after  giving  me  some  very  confused 
directions,  and  so  left  me  to  blunder  out  the  rest  of  the  journey  by  myself. 
I  lost  myself  more  than  once,  but  soon  recovered  the  right  way  again.   About 
three  miles  after  quitting  my  guide,  I  passed  the  south  branch  of  Pamunky 
river,  near  fifty  yards  over,  and  full  of  stones.     After  this,  I  had  eight  miles 
to  Mr.  Chiswell's,  where  I  arrived  about  two  o'clock,  and  saved  my  dinner. 
I  was  very  handsomely  entertained,  finding  every  thing  very  clean,  and  very 
good.     I  had  not  seen  Mrs.  Chiswell  in  twenty-four  years,  which,  alas !  had. 
made  great  havoc  with  her  pretty  face,  and  ploughed  very  deep  furrows  -in 
her  fair  skin.    It  was  impossible  to  know  her  again,  so  much  the  flower  was 
faded.     However,  though  she  was  grown  an  old  woman,  yet  she  was  one- 
of  those  absolute  rarities,  a  very  good  old  woman.     I  found  Mr.  Chiswell  a 
sensible,  well-bred  man,  and  very  frank  in  communicating  his  knowledge  in 
the  mystery  of  making  iron,  wherein  he  has  had  long  experience.     I  told 
him  I  was  come  to  spy  the  land,  and  inform  myself  of  the  expense  of 
carrying  on  an  iron  work  with  effect.     That  I  sought  my  instruction  from 
him,  who  understood  the  whole  mystery,  having  gained  full  experience  in 
every  part  of  it ;  only  I  was  very  sorry  he  had  bought  that  experience  so 
dear.     He  answered  that  he  would,  with  great  sincerity,  let  me  into  the  little 
knowledge  he  had,  and  so  we  immediately  entered  upon  the  business.     He 
assured  me  the  first  step  I  was  to  take  was  to  acquaint  myself  fully  with 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  my  ore.     For  that  reason  I  ought  to  keep  a  good 
pick-axe  man  at  work  a  whole  year  to  search  if  there  be  a  sufficient  quantity, 
without  which  it  would  be  a  very  rash  undertaking.     That  I  should  also 
have  a  skilful  person  to  try  the  richness  of  the  ore.     Nor  is  it  great  advan- 
tage to  have  it  exceeding  rich,  because  then  it  will  yield  brittle  iron,  which 
is  not  valuable.     But  the  way  to  have  it  tough  is  to  mix  poor  ore  and  rich 
together,  which  makes  the  poorer  sort  extremely  necessary  for  the  produc- 
tion of  the  best  iron.     Then  he  showed  me  a  sample  of  the  richest  ore  they 
have  in  England,  which  yields  a  full  moiety  of  iron.     It  was  of  a  pale  red 
colour,  smooth  and  greasy,  and  not  exceedingly  heavy ;  but  it  produced  so 
brittle  a  metal,  that  they  were  obliged  to  melt  a  poorer  ore  along  with  it. 
He  told  me,  after  I  was  certain  my  ore  was  good  and  plentiful  enough,  my 
next  inquiry  ought  to  be,  how  far  it  lies  from  a  stream  proper  to  build  a 
furnace  upon,  and  again  what  distance  that  furnace  will  be  from  water  car- 
riage; because  the  charge  of  carting  a  great  way  is  very  heavy,  and  eats 
out  a  great  part  of  the  profit.     That  this  was  the  misfortune  of  the  mines  of 
Fredericksville,  where  they  were  obliged  to  cart  the  ore  a  mile  to  the  furnace, 
and  after  it  was  run  into  iron,  to  carry  that  twenty-four  miles,  over  an  uneven 
sroad  to  Rappahannock  river,  about  a  mile  below  Fredericksburg,  to  a  planta- 
tion the  company  rented  of  Col.  Page.     If  I  were  satisfied  with  the  situation, 
I  was  in  the  next  place  to  consider  whether  I  had  woodland  enough  near 
the  furnace  to  supply  it  with  charcoal,  whereof  it  would  require  a  prodigious 
quantity.     That  the  properest  wood  for  that  purpose  was  lhat  of  oily  kind, 
such  as  pine,  walnut,  hickory,  oak,  and  in  short  all  that  yields  cones,  nuts, 
or  acorns.     That  two  miles  square  of  wood,  would  supply  a  moderate  fur- 
nace ;  so  that  what  you  fell  first  may  have  time  to  grow  up  again  to  a  pro- 
per bigness  (which  must  be  four  inches  over)  by  that  time  the  rest  is  cut 
down.   He  told  me  farther,  that  one  hundred  and  twenty  slaves,  includiug  wo- 
men, were  necessary  to  carry  on  all  the  business  of  an  iron  work,  and  the 
more  Virginians  amongst  them  the  better;  though  in  that  number  he  com- 
prehended carters,  colliers,  and  those  that  planted  the  corn.     That  if  there 
should  be  much  carting,  it  would  require  one  thousand  six  hundred  barrels 
ef  corn  yearly  to  support  the  people,  and  the  cattle  employed ;  nor  does  even 


128  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

that  quantity  suffice  at  Fredericksville.  That  if  all  these  circumstances 
should  happily  concur,  and  you  could  procure  honest  colliers  and  firemen, 
which  will  be  difficult  to  do,  you  may  easily  run  eight  hundred  tons  of  sow 
iron  a  year.  The  whole  charge  of  freight,  custom,  commission,  and  other 
expenses  in  England,  will  not  exceed  thirty  shillings  a  ton,  and  it  will  com- 
monly sell  for  six  pounds,; and  then  the  clear  profit  will  amount  to  four 
pounds  and  ten  shillings.  So  that  allowing  the  ten  shillings  for  accidents, 
you  may  reasonably  expect  a  clear  profit  of  four  pounds,  which  being  multi- 
plied by  eight  hundred,  will  amount  to  three  thousand  two  hundred  pounds  a 
year,  to  pay  you  for  your  land  and  negroes.  But  then  it  behooved  me  to  be 
fully  informed  of  the  whole  matter  myself,  to  prevent  being  imposed  upon ; 
and  if  any  offered  to  put  tricks  upon  me,  to  punish  them  as  they  deserve. 
Thus-  ended  our  conversation  for  this  day,  and  I  retired  to  a  very  clean 
lodging  in  another  house,  and  took  my  bark,  but  was  forced  to  take  it  in 
water,  by  reason  a  light  fingered  damsel  had  ransacked  my  baggage,  and 
drunk  up  my  brandy.  This  unhappy  girl,  it  seems,  is  a  baronet's  daughter ; 
but  her  complexion,  being  red-haired,  inclined  her  so  much  to  lewdness,  that 
her  father  sent  her,  under  the  care  of  the  virtuous  Mr.  Cheep,  to  seek  her  for- 
tune on  this  side  the  globe. 

24th.  My  friend,  Mr.  Chiswell,  made  me  reparation  for  the  robbery  of  his 
servant,  by  filling  my  bottle  again  with  good  brandy.  It  being  Sunday,  I 
made  a  motion  for  going  to  church,  to  see  the  growth  of  the  parish,  but  un- 
luckily the  sermon  happened  to  be  at  the  chapel,  which  was  too  far  off.  I 
was  unwilling  to  tire  my  friend  with  any  farther  discourse  upon  iron,  and 
therefore  turned  the  conversation  to  other  subjects.  And  talking  of  manage- 
ment, he  let  me  into  two  secrets  worth  remembering.  He  said  the  quickest 
way  in  the  world  to  stop  the  fermentation  of  any  liquor  was  to  keep  a  light- 
ed match  of  brimstone  under  the  cask  for  some  time.  This  is  useful  in  so 
warm  a  country  as  this,  where  cider  is  apt  to  work  itself  off  both  of 
its  strength  and  sweetness.  The  other  secret  was  to  keep  weevils  out  of 
wheat  and  other  grain.  You  have  nothing  to  do,  said  he,  but  to  put  a  bag 
of  pepper  into  every  heap,  or  cask,  which  those  insects  have  such  an  anti- 
pathy to  that  they  will  not  approach  it.  These  receipts  he  gave  me,  not 
upon  report,  but  upon  his  own  repeated  experience.  He  farther  told  me  he 
had  brewed  as  good  ale  of  malt  made  of  Indian  corn  as  ever  he  tasted ; 
all  the  objection  was,  he  could  neither  by  art,  or  standing,  ever  bring  it  to 
be  fine  in  the  cask.  The  quantity  of  corn  he  employed  in  brewing  a  cask 
of  forty  gallons  was  two  bushels  and  a  half,  which  made  it  very  strong  and 
pleasant.  We  had  a  haunch  of  venison  for  dinner,  as  fat  and  well  tasted  as 
if  it  had  come  out  of  Richmond  park.  In  these  upper  parts  of  the  country 
the  deer  are  in  better  case  than  below,  though  I  believe  the  buck  which  gave 
us  so  good  a  dinner  had  eaten  out  his  value  in  peas,  which  will  make  deer  ex- 
ceedingly fat.  In  the  afternoon,  I  walked  with  my  friend  to  his  mill,  which 
is  half  a  mile  from  his  house.  It  is  built  upon  a  rock  very  firmly,  so  that  it 
is  more  apt  to  suffer  by  too  little  water,  (the  run  not  being  over  plentiful,) 
than  too  much.  On  the  other  side  of  this  stream  lie  several  of  Col.  Jones' 
plantations.  The  poor  negroes  upon  them  are  a  kind  of  Adamites,  very 
scantily  supplied  with  clothes  and  other  necessaries ;  nevertheless,  (which  is 
a  little  incomprehensible,)  they  continue  in  perfect  health,  and  none  of  them 
die,  except  it  be  of  age.  However,  they  are  even  with  their  master,  and 
make  him  but  indifferent  crops,  so  that  he  gets  nothing  by  his  unjustice,  but 
the  scandal  of  it.  And  here  I  must  make  one  remark,  which  I  am  a  little 
unwilling  to  do  for  fear  of  encouraging  of  cruelty,  that  those  negroes  which 
are  kept  the  barest  of  clothes  and  bedding  are  commonly  the  freest  from 
sickness.     And  this  happens,  I  suppose,  by  their  being  all  face,  and  therefore 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  129 

better  proof  against  the  sudden  changes  of  weather,  to  which  this  climate  is 
unhappily  subject. 

25th.  After  saying  some  very  civil  things  to  Mrs.  Chiswell,  for  my  hand- 
some entertainment,  I  mounted  my  horse,  and  Mr.  Chiswell  his  phaeton,  in 
order  to  go  to  the  mines  at  Fredericksviile.  We  could  converse  very  little 
by  the  way,  by  reason  of  our  different  voitures.  The  road  was  very  straight 
and  level  the  whole  journey,  which  was  twenty-five  miles,  the  last  ten 
whereof  I  rode  in  the  chair,  and  my  friend  on  my  horse,  to  ease  ourselves  by 
that  variety  of  motion.  About  a  mile  before  we  got  to  Fredericksviile,  we 
forded  over  the  north  branch  of  Pamunky,  about  sixty  yards  over.  Neither 
this  nor  the  south  branch  run  up  near  so  high  as  the  mountains,  but  many  miles 
below  them  spread  out  into  a  kind  of  morass,  like  Chickahominy.  When  we 
approached  the  mines,  there  opened  to  our  view  a  large  space  of  cleared 
ground,  whose  wood  had  been  cut  down  for  coaling.  WTe  arrived  here  about 
two  o'clock,  and  Mr.  Chiswell  had  been  so  provident  as  to  bring  a  cold 
venison  pasty,  with  which  we  appeased  oar  appetites,  without  the  impatience 
of  waiting.  When  our  tongues  were  at  leisure  for  discourse,  my  friend  told 
me  there  was  one  Mr.  Harrison,  in  England,  who  is  so  universal  a  dealer  in 
all  sorts  of  iron,  that  he  could  govern  the  market  just  as  he  pleased.  That 
it  was  by  his  artful  management  that  our  iron  from  the  plantations  sold 
for  less  than  that  made  in  England,  though  it  was  generally  reckoned  much 
better.  That  ours  would  hardly  fetch  six  pounds  a  ton,  when  their's  fetched 
seven  or  eight,  purely  to  serve  that  man's  interest.  Then  he  explained  the 
several  charges  upon  our  sow  iron,  after  it  was  put  on  board  the  ships.  That 
in  the  first  place  it  paid  seven  shillings  and  sixpence  a  ton  for  freight,  being 
just  so  much  clear  gain  to  the  ships,  which  carry  it  as  ballast,  or  wedge  it  in 
among  the  hogsheads.  When  it  gets  home,  it  pays  three  shillings  and  nine- 
pence  custom.  These  articles  together  make  no  more  than  eleven  shillings 
and  three  pence,  and  yet  the  merchants,  by  their  great  skill  in  multiplying 
charges,  swell  the  account  up  to  near  thirty  shillings  a  ton  by  that  time  it 
gets  out  of  their  hands,  and  they  are  continually  adding  more  and  more,  as 
they  serve  us  in  our  accounts  of  tobacco.  He  told  me  a  strange  thing  about 
steel,  that  the  making  of  the  best  remains  at  this  day  a  profound  secret  in 
the  breast  of  a  very  few,  and  therefore  is  in  danger  of  being  lost,  as  the  art 
of  staining  of  glass,  and  many  others,  have  been.  He  could  only  tell  me  they 
used  beech  wood  in  the  making  of  it  in  Europe,  and  burn  it  a  considerable 
time  in  powder  of  charcoal ;  but  the  mystery  lies  in  the  liquor  they  quench 
it  in.  After  dinner  we  took  a  walk  to  the  furnace,  which  is  elegantly  built  of 
brick,  though  the  hearth  be  of  fire-stone.  There  we  saw  the  founder,  Mr. 
Derham,  who  is  paid  four  shillings  for  every  ton  of  sow  iron  that  he  runs, 
which  is  a  shilling  cheaper  than  the  last  workman  had.  This  operator  looked 
a  little  melancholy,  because  he  had  nothing  to  do,  the  furnace  having  been 
cold  ever  since  May,  for  want  of  corn  to  support  the  cattle.  This  was  how- 
ever no  neglect  of  Mr.  Chiswell,  because  all  the  persons  he  had  contracted 
with  had  basely  disappointed  him.  But  having  received  a  small  supply,  they 
intended  to  blow  very  soon.  With  that  view  they  began  to  heat  the  furnace, 
which  is  six  weeks  before  it  comes  to  that  intense  heat  required  to  run  the 
metal  in  perfection.  Neverthless,  they  commonly  begin  to  blow  when  the 
fire  has  been  kindled  a  week  or  ten  days.  Close  by  the  furnace  stood  a 
very  spacious  house  full  of  charcoal,  holding  at  least  four  hundred  loads, 
which  will  be  burnt  out  in  three  months.  The  company  has  contracted  with 
Mr.  Harry  Willis  to  fall  the  wood,  and  then  maul  it  and  cut  it  into  pieces  of 
four  feet  in  length,  and  bring  it  to  the  pits  where  it  is  to  be  coaled.  All  this 
he  has  undertaken  to  do  for  two  shillings  a  cord,  which  must  be  four  feet 
broad,  four  feet  high,  and  eight  feet  long.     Eeing  thus  carried  to  the  pits,  the 


]30  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

collier  has  contracted  to  coal  it  for  five  shillings  a  load,  consisting  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  bushels.  The  fire  in  the  furnace  is  blown  by  two  mighty  pairs 
of  bellows,  that  cost  one  hundred  pounds  each,  and  these  bellows  are  moved 
by  a  great  wheel  of  twenty-six  feet  diameter.  The  wheel  again  is  carried 
round  by  a  small  stream  of  water,  conveyed  about  three  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  over  land  in  a  trough,  from  a  pond  made  by  a  wooden  dam.  But 
there  is  great  want  of  water  in  a  dry  season,  which  makes  the  furnace  often 
blow  out,  to  the  great  prejudice  of  the  works.  Having  thus  filled  my  head 
with  all  these  particulars,  we  returned  to  the  house,  where,  after  talking  of 
Col.  Spotswood,  and  his  stratagems  to  shake  off  his  partners,  and  secure  all 
his  mmes  to  himself,  I  retired  to  a  homely  lodging,  which,  like  a  homespun 
mistress,  had  been  more  tolerable,  if  it  had  been  sweet. 

26th.  Over  our  tea,  Mr.  Chiswell  tolcl  me  the  expense  which  the  company 
had  been  already  at  amounted  to  near  twelve  thousand  pounds:  but  then 
the  land,  negroes,  and  cattle  were  all  included  in  that  charge.  However, 
the  money  began  now  to  come  in,  they  having  run  twelve  hundred  tons  of 
iron,  and  all  their  heavy  disbursements  were  over.  Only  they  were  still 
forced  to  buy  great  quantities  of  corn,  because  they  had  not  strength  of 
their  own  to  make  it.  That  they  had  not  more  than  eighty  negroes,  and 
few  of  those  Virginia  born.  That  they  need  forty  negroes  more  to  carry  on 
all  the  business  with  their  own  force.  They  have  fifteen  thousand  acres  of 
land,  though  little  of  it  rich  except  in  iron,  and  of  that  they  have  a  great 
quantity.  Mr.  Fitzwilliam,  took  up  the  mine  tract,  and  had  the  address  to 
draw  in  the  governor,  Capt.  Pearse,  Dr.  Nicolas  and  Mr.  Chiswell  to  be  jointly 
concerned  with  him,  by  which  contrivance  he  first  got  a  good  price  for  the 
land,  and  then,  when  he  had  been  very  little  out  of  pocket,  sold  his  share  to 
Mr.  Nelson  for  five  hundred  pounds;  and  of  these  gentlemen  the  company 
at  present  consists.  And  Mr.  Chiswell  is  the  only  person  amongst  them  that 
knows  any  thing  of  the  matter,  and  has  one  hundred  pounds  a  year  for  look- 
ing after  the  works,  and  richly  deserves  it.  After  breaking  our  fast  we  took 
a  walk  to  the  principal  mine,  about  a  mile  from  the  furnace,  where  they  had 
sunk  in  some  places  about  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  deep.  The  operator,  Mr. 
Gordon,  raised  the  ore,  for  which  he  was  to  have  by  contract  one  and  six- 
pence per  cart-load  of  twenty-six  hundred  weight.  This  man  was  obliged 
to  hire  all  the  laborers  he  wanted  for  this  work  of  the  company,  after  the 
rate  of  twenty-five  shillings  a  month,  and  for  all  that  was  able  to  clear  forty 
pounds  a-year  for  himself.  We  saw  here  several  large  heaps  of  ore  of  two 
sorts,  one  of  rich,  and  the  other  spongy  and  poor,  which  they  melted  together 
to  make  the  metal  more  tough.  The  way  of  raising  the  ore  was  by  blowing 
it  up,  which  operation  I  saw  here  from  beginning  to  end.  They  first  drilled 
a  hole  in  the  mine,  either  upright  or  sloping,  as  the  grain  of  it  required. 
This  hole  they  cleansed  with  a  rag  fastened  to  the  end  of  an  iron  with  a 
worm  at  the  end  of  it.  Then  they  put  in  a  cartridge  of  powder  containing 
about  three  ounces,  and  at  the  same  time  a  reed  full  of  fuse  that  reached  to 
the  powder.  Then  they  rammed  dry  clay,  or  soft  stone  very  hard  into  the 
hole,  and  lastly  they  fired  the  fuse  with  a  paper  that  had  been  dipped  in  a 
solution  of  saltpetre  and  dried,  which  burning  slow  and  sure,  gave  leisure  to 
the  engineer  to  retire  to  a  proper  distance  before  the  explosion.  This  in  the 
miner's  language  is  called  making  a  blast,  which  will  loosen  several  hundred 
weight  of  ore  at  once ;  and  afterwards  the  laborers  easily  separate  it  with 
pick-axes  and  carry  it  away  in  baskets  up  to  the  heap.  At  our  return  we 
saw  near  the  furnace  large  heaps  of  mine  with  charcoal  mixed  with  it,  a 
stratum  of  each  alternately,  beginning  first  with  a  layer  of  charcoal  at  the 
bottom.  To  this  they  put  fire,  which  in  a  little  time  spreads  through  the 
whole  heap,  and  calcines  the  ore,  which  afterwards  easily  crumbles  into 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  J  3  J 

small  pieces  fit  for  the  furnace.  There  was  likewise  a  mighty  quantity  of 
limestone,  brought  from  Bristol,  by  way  of  ballast,  at  two  and  sixpence  a  ton, 
which  they  are  at  the  trouble  to  cart  hither  from  Rappahannock  river,  but 
contrive  to  do  it  when  the  carts  return  from  carrying  of  iron.  They  put 
this  into  the  furnace  with  the  iron  ore,  in  the  proportion  of  one  ton  of  stone  to 
ten  of  ore,  with  design  to  absorb  the  sulphur  out  of  the  iron,  which  would 
otherwise  make  it  brittle.  And  if  that  be  the  use  of  it,  oyster  shells  would 
certainly  do  ss  well  as  limestone,  being  altogether  as  strong  an  alkali,  if  not 
stronger.  Nor  can  their  being  taken  out  of  salt  water  be  any  objection,  be- 
cause it  is  pretty  certain  the  West  India  limestone,  which  is  thrown  up 
by  the  sea,  is  even  better  than  that  imported  from  Bristol.  But  the  founders 
who  never  tried  either  of  these  will  by  no  means  be  persuaded  to  go  out  of 
their  way,  though  the  reason  of  the  thing  be  never  so  evident.  I  observed 
the  richer  sort  of  mine,  being  of  a  dark  colour  mixed  with  rust,  was  laid  in 
a  heap  by  itself,  and  so  was  the  poor,  which  was  of  a  liver  or  brick  colour. 
The  sow  iron  is  in  the  figure  of  a  half-round,  about  two  feet  and  a  half-long, 
weighing  sixty  or  seventy  pounds,  whereof  three  hundred  weight  make  a 
cart-load  drawn  by  eight  oxen,  which  are  commonly  shod  to  save  their  hoofs 
in  those  stony  ways.  When  the  furnace  blows,  it  runs  about  twenty  tons  of 
iron  a  week.  The  founders  find  it  very  hot  work  to  tend  the  furnace,  es- 
pecially in  summer,  and  are  obliged  to  spend  no  small  part  of  their  earnings 
in  strong  drink  to  recruit  their  spirits.  Besides  the  founder,  the  collier,  and 
miner,  who  are  paid  in  proportion  to  their  work,  the  company  have  several 
other  officers  upon  wages,  a  stock-taker,  who  weighs  and  measures  every 
thing,  a  clerk,  who  keeps  an  account  of  all  receipts  and  disbursements,  a 
smith  to  shoe  their  cattle,  and  keep  all  their  iron  work  in  repair,  a  wheel- 
wright, cart wright,  carpenter,  and  several  carters.  The  wages  of  all  these 
persons  amount  to  one  hundred  pounds  a  year  ;  so  that  including  Mr.  Chis- 
welFs  salary,  they  disburse  two  hundred  pounds  per  annum  in  standing 
wages.  The  provisions  too  are  a  heavy  article,  which  their  plantations  do  not 
yet  produce  in  a  sufficient  quantity,  though  they  are  at  the  charge  of  a  gene- 
ral overseer.  But  while  corn  is  so  short  with  them,  Chere  can  be  no  great 
increase  of  stock  of  any  kind. 

27th.  Having  now  pretty  well  exhausted  the  subject  of  sow  iron,  I  asked 
my  friend  some  questions  about  bar-iron.  He  told  me  we  had  as  yet  no 
forge  erected  in  Virginia,  though  we  had  four  furnaces.  But  there  was  a 
very  good  one  set  up  at  the  head  of  the  bay  in  Maryland,  that  made  exceed- 
ing good  work.  He  let  me  know  that  the  duty  in  England  upon  bar  iron 
was  twenty-four  shillings  a  ton,  and  that  it  sold  there  from  ten  to  sixteen 
pounds  a  ton.  This  would  pay  the  charge  of  forging  abundantly,  but  he 
doubted  the  parliament  of  England  would  soon  forbid  us  that  improvement, 
lest  after  that  we  should  go  farther,  and  manufacture  our  bars  into  all  sorts 
of  iron  ware,  as  they  already  do  in  New  England  and  Pennsylvania.  Nay, 
he  questioned  whether  we  should  be  suffered  to  cast  any  iron,  which  they 
can  do  themselves  at  their  furnaces.  Thus  ended  our  conversation,  and  I 
thanked  my  friend  for  being  so  free  in  communicating  every  thing  to  me. 
Then,  after  tipping  a  pistole  to  the  clerk,  to  drink  prosperity  to  the  mines 
with  all  the  workmen,  I  accepted  the  kind  offer  of  going  part  of  my  journey 
in  the  phaeton.  I  took  my  leave  about  ten,  and  drove  over  a  spacious  level 
road  ten  miles,  to  a  bridge  built  over  the  river  Po,  which  is  one  of  the  four 
branches  of  Matapony,  about  forty  yards  wide.  Two  miles  beyond  that, 
we  passed  by  a  plantation  belonging  to  the  company,  of  about  five  hundred 
acres,  where  they  keep  a  great  number  of  oxen  to  relieve  those  that  have 
dragged  their  loaded  carts  thus  far.  Three  miles  farther  we  came  to  the  Ger- 
manna  road,  where  I  quitted  the  chair,  and  continued  my  journey  on  horse- 


132  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

back.  1  rode  eight  miles  together  over  a  stony  road,  and  had  on  either  side 
continual  poisoned  fields,  with  nothing  but  saplings  growing  on  them.  Then 
I  came  into  the  main  county  road,  that  leads  from  Fredericksburg  to  .Ger- 
manna,  which  last  place  I  reached  in  ten  miles  more.  This  famous  town 
consists  of  Col.  Spotswood's  enchanted  castle  on  one  side  of  the  street,  and 
a  baker's  dozen  of  ruinous  tenements  on  the  other,  where  so  many  German 
families  had  dwelt  some  years  ago  ;  but  are  now  removed  ten  miles  higher, 
in  the  fork  of  Rappahannock,  to  land  of  their  own.  There  had  also  been  a 
chapel  about  a  bow-shot  from  the  colonel's  house,  at  the  end  of  an  avenue 
of  cherry  trees,  but  some  pious  people  had  lately  burnt  it  down,  with  intent 
to  get  another  built  nearer  to  their  own  homes.  Here  I  arrived  about  three 
o'clock,  and  found  only  Mrs.  Spotswood  at  home,  who  received  her  old  ac- 
quaintance with  many  a  gracious  smile.  I  was  carried  into  a  room  elegantly 
set  off  with  pier  glasses,  the  largest  of  which  came  soon  after  to  an  odd  misfor- 
tune. Amongst  other  favourite  animals  that  cheered  this  lady's  solitude,  a 
brace  of  tame  deer  ran  familiarly  about  the  house,  and  one  of  them  came  to 
stare  at  me  as  a  stranger.  But  unluckily  spying  his  own  figure  in  the  glass, 
he  made  a  spring  over  the  tea  table  that  stood  under  it,  and  shattered  the 
glass  to  pieces,  and  falling  back  upon  the  tea  table,  made  a  terrible  fracas 
among  the  china.  This  exploit  was  so  sudden,  and  accompanied  with  such 
a  noise,  that  it  surprised  me,  and  perfectly  frightened  Mrs.  Spotswood.  But 
it  was  worth  all  the  damage,  to  show  the  moderation  and  good  humour  with 
which  she  bore  this  disaster.  In  the  evening  the  noble  colonel  came  home 
from  his  mines,  who  saluted  me  very  civilly,  and  Mrs.  Spotswood's  sister, 
Miss  Theky,  who  had  been  to  meet  him  en  cavalier,  was  so  kind  too  as  to 
bid  me  welcome.  We  talked  over  a  legend  of  old  stories,  supped  about 
nine,  and  then  prattled  with  the  ladies,  till  it  was  time  for  a  traveller  to  retire. 
In  the  mean  time  I  observed  my  old  friend  to  be  very  uxorious,  and  exceed- 
ingly fond  of  his  children.  This  was  so  opposite  to  the  maxims  he  used  to 
preach  up  before  he  was  married,  that  I  could  not  forbear  rubbing  up  the 
memory  of  them.  But  he  gave  a  very  good-natured  turn  to  his  change  of 
sentiments,  by  alleging  that  whoever  brings  a  poor  gentlewoman  into  so  soli- 
tary a  place,  from  all  her  friends  and  acquaintance,  would  be  ungrateful  not 
to  use  her  and  all  that  belongs  to  her  with  all  possible  tenderness. 

28th.  We  all  kept  snug  in  our  several  apartments  till  nine,  except  Miss 
Theky,  who  was  the  housewife  of  the  family.  At  that  hour  we  met  over  a 
pot  of  coffee,  which  was  not  quite  strong  enough  to  give  us  the  palsy. 
After  breakfast  the  colonel  and  I  left  the  ladies  to  their  domestic  affairs,  and 
took  a  turn  in  the  garden,  which  has  nothing  beautiful  but  three  terrace 
walks  that  fall  in  slopes  one  below  another.  I  let  him  understand,  that  be- 
sides the  pleasure  of  paying  him  a  visit,  I  came  to  be  instructed  by  so  great  a 
master  in  the  mystery  of  making  of  iron,  wherein  he  had  led  the  way,  and  was 
the  Tubal  Cain  of  Virginia.  He  corrected  me  a  little  there,  by  assuring  me  he 
was  not  only  the  first  in  this  country,  but  the  first  in  North  America,  who 
had  erected  a  regular  furnace.  That  they  ran  altogether  upon  bloomeries  in 
New  England  and  Pennsylvania,  till  his  example  had  made  them  attempt 
greater  works.  But  in  this  last  colony,  they  have  so  few  ships  to  carry  their 
iron  to  Great  Britain,  that  they  must  be  content  to  make  it  only  for  their  own 
use,  and  must  be  obliged  to  manufacture  it  when  they  have  done.  That  he 
hoped  he  had  done  the  country  very  great  service  by  setting  so  good  an  ex- 
ample. That  the  four  furnaces  now  at  work  in  Virginia  circulated  a  great 
sum  of  money  for  provisions- and  all  other  necessaries  in  the  adjacent  coun- 
ties. That  they  took  off  a  great  number  of  hands  from  planting  tobacco, 
and  employed  them  in  works  that  produced  a  large  sum  of  money  in  England 
to  the  persons  concerned,  whereby  the  country  is  so  much  the  richer.    That 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  133 

they  are  besides  a  considerable  advantage  to  Great  Britain,  because  it  lessens 
the  quantity  of  bar  iron  imported  from  Spain,  Holland,  Sweden,  [Denmark 
and  Muscovy,  which  used  to  be  no  less  than  twenty  thousand  tons  yearly, 
though  at  the  same  time  no  sow  iron  is  imported  thither  from  any  country 
but  only  from  the  plantations.  For  most  of  this  bar  iron  they  do  not  only 
pay  silver,  but  our  friends  in  the  Baltic  are  so  nice,  they  even  expect  to  be 
paid  all  in  crown  pieces.  On  the  contrary,  all  the  iron  they  receive  from  the 
plantations,  they  pay  for  it  in  their  own  manufactures,  and  send  for  it  in  their 
own  shipping.  Then  I  inquired  after  his  own  mines,  and  hoped,  as  he  was 
the  first  that  engaged  in  this  great  undertaking,  that  he  had  brought  them  to 
the  most  perfection.  He  told  me  he  had  iron  in  several  parts  of  his  great 
tract  of  land,  consisting  of  forty-five  thousand  acres.  But  that  the  mine  he 
was  at  work  upon  was  thirteen  miles  below  Germanna.  That  his  ore  (which 
was  very  rich)  he  raised  a  mile  from  his  furnace,  and  was  obliged  to  cart  the 
iron,  when  it  was  made,  fifteen  miles  to  Massaponux,  a  plantation  he  had 
upon  Rappahannock  river;  but  that  the  road  was  exceeding  good,  gently 
declining  all  the  way,  and  had  no  more  than  one  hill  to  go  up  in  the  whole 
journey.  For  this  reason  his  loaded  carts  went  it  in  a  day  without  difficulty. 
He  said  it  was  true  his  works  were  of  the  oldest  standing :  but  that  his  long 
absence  in  England,  and  the  wretched  management  of  Mr.  Greame<  whom  he 
had  entrusted  with  his  affairs,  had  put  him  back  very  much.  That  what 
with  neglect  and  severity,  above  eighty  of  his  slaves  were  lost  while  he  was 
in  England,  and  most  of  his  cattle  starved.  That  his  furnace  stood  still 
great  part  of  the  time,  and  all  his  plantations  ran  to  ruin.  That  indeed  he 
was  rightly  served  for  committing  his  affairs  to  the  care  of  a  mathematician, 
whose  thoughts  were  always  among  the  stars.  That  nevertheless,  since  his 
return,  he  had  applied  himself  to  rectify  his  steward's  mistakes,  and  bring  his 
business  again  into  order.  That  now  he  had  contrived  to  do  every  thing 
with  his  own  people,  except  raising  the  mine  and  running  the  iron,  by  which 
he  had  contracted  his  expense  very  much.  Nay,  he  believed  that  by  his 
directions  he  could  bring  sensible  negroes  to  perform  those  parts  of  the  work 
tolerably  well.  But  at  the  same  time  he  gave  me  to  understand,  that  his 
furnace  had  done  no  great  feats  lately,  because  he  had  been  taken  up  in 
building  an  air  furnace  at  Massaponux,  which  he  had  now  brought  to  per- 
fection, and  should  be  thereby  able  to  furnish  the  whole  country  with  all 
sorts  of  cast  iron,  as  cheap  and  as  good  as  ever  came  from  England.  I  told 
him  he  must  do  one  thing  more  to  have  a  full  vent  for  those  commodities,  he 
must  keep  a  shallop  running  into  all  the  river's,  to  carry  his  wares  home  to 
people's  own  doors.  And  if  he  would  do  that  I  would  set  a  good  example, 
and  take  off  a  whole  ton  of  them.  Our  conversation  on  this  subject  con- 
tinued till  dinner,  which  was  both  elegant  and  plentiful.  The  afternoon  was 
devoted  to  the  ladies,  who  showed  me  one  of  their  most  beautiful  walks. 
They  conducted  me  through  a  shady  lane  to  the  landing,  and  by  the  way 
made  me  drink  some  very  fine  water  that  issued  from  a  marble  fountain,  and 
ran  incessantly.  Just  behind  it  was  a  covered  bench,  where  Miss  Theky 
often  sat  and  bewailed  her  virginity.  Then  we  proceeded  to  the  river, 
which  is  the  south  branch  of  Rappahannock,  about  fifty  yards  wide,  and  so 
rapid  that  the  ferry  boat  is  drawn  over  by  a  chain,  and  therefore  called  the 
Rapidan.  At  night  we  drank  prosperity  to  all  the  colonel's  projects  in  a  bowl 
of  rack  punch,  and  then  retired  to  our  devotions. 

29th.  Having  employed  about  two  hours  in  retirement,  I  sallied  out  at  the 
first  summons  to  breakfast,  where  our  conversation  with  the  ladies,  like  whip 
sillabub,  was  very  pretty,  but  had  nothing  in  it.  This  it  seems  was  Miss 
Theky's  birth  day,  upon  which  I  made  her  my  compliments,  and  wished  she 
might  live  twice  as  long  a  married  woman  as  she  had  lived  a  maid.     I  did 

S 


134  FROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

not  presume  to  pry  into  the  secret  of  her  age,  nor  was  she  forward  to  dis- 
close it,  for  this  humble  reason,  lest  I  should  think  her  wisdom  fell  short  of 
her  years.  She  contrived  to  make  this  day  of  her  birth  a  day  of  mourning, 
for  having  nothing  better  at  present  to  set  her  affections  upon,  she  had  a  dog 
that  was  a  great  favourite.  It  happened  that  very  morning  the  poor  cur  had 
done  something  very  uncleanly  upon  the  colonel's  bed,  for  which  he  was  con- 
demned to  die.  However,  upon  her  entreaty,  she  got  him  a  reprieve  ;  but 
was  so  concerned  that  so  much  severity  should  be  intended  on  her  birth  day, 
that  she  was  not  to  be  comforted ;  and  lest  such  another  accident  might  oust 
the  poor  cur  of  his  clergy,  she  protested  she  would  board  out  her  dog  at  a 
neighbour's  house,  where  she  hoped  he  would  be  more  kindly  treated.  Then 
the  colonel  and  I  took  another  turn  in  the  garden,  to  discourse  farther  on  the 
subject  of  iron.  He  was  very  frank  in  communicating  all  his  dear-bought 
experience  to  me,  and  told  me  very  civilly  he  would  not  only  let  me  into  the 
whole  secret,  but  would  make  a  journeyto  James  river,  and  give  me  his 
faithful  opinion  of  all  my  conveniences.  For  his  part  he  wished  there  were 
many  more  iron  works  in  the  country,  provided  the  parties  concerned  would 
preserve  a  constant  harmony  among  themselves,  and  meet  and  consult  fre- 
quently, what  might  be  for  their  common  advantage.  By  this  they  might  be 
better  able  to  manage  the  workmen,  and  reduce  their  wages  to  what  was 
just  and  reasonable.  After  this  frank  speech,  he  began  to  explain  the  whole 
charge  of  an  iron  work.  He  said,  there  ought  at  least  to  be  a  hundred 
negroes  employed  in  it,  and  those  upon  good  land  would  make  corn,  and 
raise  provisions  enough  to  support  themselves  and  the  cattle,  and  do  every 
other  part  of  the  business.  That  the  furnace  might  be  built  for  seven  hun- 
dred pounds,  and  made  ready  to  go  to  work,  if  I  went  the  nearest  way  to  do 
it,  especially  since  coming  after  so  many,  I  might  correct  their  errors  and 
avoid  their  miscarriages.  That  if  I  had  ore  and  wood  enough,  and  a  con- 
venient stream  of  water  to  set  the  furnace  upon,  having  neither  too  much 
nor  too  little  water,  I  might  undertake  the  affair  with  a  full  assurance  of 
success.  Provided  the  distance  of  carting  be  not  too  great,  which  is  exceed- 
ingly burdensome.  That  there  must  be  abundance  of  wheel  carriages,  shod 
with  iron,  and  several  teams  of  oxen,  provided  to  transport  the  wood  that  is 
to  be  coaled,  and  afterwards  the  coal  and  ore  to  the  furnace,  and  last  of  all 
the  sow  iron  to  the  nearest  water  carriage,  and  carry  back  limestone  and 
other  necessaries  from  thence  to  the  works ;  and  a  sloop  also  would  be  useful 
to  carry  the  iron  on  board  the  ships,  the  masters  not  being  always  in  the 
humour  to  fetch  it.  Then  he  enumerated  the  people  that  were  to  be  hired, 
viz. :  a  founder,  a  mine-raiser,  a  collier,  a  stock-taker,  a  clerk,  a  smith,  a 
carpenter,  a  wheelwright,  and  several  carters.  That  these  altogether  will 
be  a  standing  charge  of  about  five  hundred  pounds  a  year.  That  the 
amount  of  freight,  custom,  commission  and  other  charges  in  England,  comes 
to  twenty-seven  shillings  a  ton.  But  that  the  merchants  yearly  find  out 
means  to  inflame  the  account  with  new  articles,  as  they  do  in  those  of  to- 
bacco. That,  upon  the  whole  matter,  the  expenses  here  and  in  England  may 
be  computed  modestly  at  two  pounds  a  ton.  And  the  rest  that  the  iron  sells 
for  will  be  clear  gain,  to  pay  for  the  land  and  negroes,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped 
will  be  three  pounds  more  for  every  ton  that  is  sent  over.  As  this  account 
agreed  pretty  near  with  that  which  Mr.  Chiswell  had  given  me,  I  set  it  down 
(notwithstanding  it  may  seem  a  repetition  of  the  same  thing)  to  prove  that 
both  these  gentlemen  were  sincere  in  their  representations.  We  had  a  Mi- 
chaelmas goose  for  dinner,  of  Miss  Theky's  own  raising,  who  was  now  good- 
natured  enough  to  forget  the  jeopardy  of  her  dog.  In  the  afternoon  we 
walked  in  a  meadow  by  the  river  side,  which  winds  in  the  form  of  a  horse- 
shoe about  Germanna,  making  it  a  peninsula,  containing  about  four  hundred 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES,  J 35 

acres.  Rappahannock  forks  about  fourteen  miles  below  this  place,  the  northern 
branch  being  the  larger,  and  consequently  must  be  the  river  that  bounds  my 
lord  Fairfax's  grant  of  the  Northern  Neck. 

30th.  The  sun  rose  clear  this  morning,  and  so  did  I,  and  finished  all  my 
little  affairs  by  breakfast.  It  was  then  resolved  to  wait  on  the  ladies  on 
horseback,  since  the  bright  sun,  the  fine  air,  and  the  wholesome  exercise,  all 
invited  us  to  it.  We  forded  the  river  a  little  above  the  ferry,  and  rode  six 
miles  up  the  neck  to  a  fine  level  piece  of  rich  land,  where  we  found  about 
twenty  plants  of  ginseng,  with  the  scarlet  berries  growing  on  the  top  of  the 
middle  stalk.  The  root  of  this  is  of  wonderful  virtue  in  many  cases,  par- 
ticularly to  raise  the  spirits  and  promote  perspiration,  which  makes  it  a  spe- 
cific in  colds  and  coughs.  The  colonal  complimented  me  with  all  we  found, 
in  return  for  my  telling  him  the  virtues  of  it.  We  were  all  pleased  to  find 
so  much  of  this  king  of  plants  so  near  the  colonel's  habitation,  and  growing 
too  upon  his  own  land;  but  were,  however,  surprised  to  find  it  upon  level 
ground,  after  we  had  been  told  it  grew  only  upon  the  north  side  of  stony 
mountains.  I  carried  home  this  treasure,  with  as  much  joy,  as  if  every  root 
had  been  a  graft  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  washed  and  dried  it  carefully.  This 
airing  made  us  as  hungry  as  so  many  hawks,  so  that  between  appetite  and 
a  very  good  dinner,  it  was  difficult  to  eat  like  a  philosopher.  In  the 
afternoon  the  ladies  walked  me  about  amongst  all  their  little  animals,  with 
which  they  amuse  themselves,  and  furnish  the  table ;  the  worst  of  it  is,  they 
are  so  tender-hearted,  they  shed  a  silent  tear  every  time  any  of  them  are 
killed.  At  night  the  colonel  and  I  quitted  the  threadbare  subject  of  iron, 
and  changed  the  scene  to  politics.  He  told  me  the  ministry  had  receded 
from  their  demand  upon  New  England,  to  raise  a  standing  salary  for  all 
succeeding  governors,  for  fear  some  curious  members  of  the  house  of  com- 
mons should  inquire  how  the  money  was  disposed  of,  that  had  been  raised 
in  the  other  American  colonies  for  the  support  of  their  governors.  And 
particularly  what  becomes  of  the  four  and  a  half  per  cent.,  paid  in  the  sugar 
colonies  for  that  purpose.  That  duty  produces  near  twenty  thousand  pounds 
a  year,  but  being  remitted  into  the  exchequer,  not  one  of  the  West  India 
governors  is  paid  out  of  it;  but  they,  like  falcons,  are  let  loose  upon 
the  people,  who  are  complaisant  enough  to  settle  other  revenues  upon 
them,  to  the  great  impoverishing  of  these  colonies.  In  the  mean  time, 
it  is  certain  the  money  raised  by  the  four  and  a  half  per  cent,  moulders  away 
between  the  minister's  fingers,  no  body  knows  how,  like  the  quitrents  of 
Virginia.  And  it  is  for  this  reason  that  the  instructions,  forbidding  all  govern- 
ors to  accept  of  any  presents  from  their  assemblies,  are  dispensed  with  in  the 
sugar  islands,  while  it  is  strictly  insisted  upon  every  where  else,  where  the  as- 
semblies were  so  wise  as  to  keep  their  revenues  among  themselves.  He  said 
further,  that  if  the  assembly  in  New  England  would  stand  bluff,  he  did  not 
see  how  they  could  be  forced  to  raise  money  against  their  wil),  for  if  they 
should  direct  it  to  be  done  by  act  of  parliament,  which  they  have  threatened 
to  do,  (though  it  be  against  the  right  of  Englishmen  to  be  taxed,  but  by  their 
representatives,)  yet  they  would  find  it  no  easy  matter  to  put  such  an  act 
in  execution.  Then  the  colonel  read  me  a  lecture  upon  tar,  affirming  that  it 
cannot  be  made  in  this  warm  climate,  after  the  manner  they  make  it  in  Swe- 
den and  Muscovy,  by  barking  the  tree  two  yards  from  the  ground,  whereby 
the  turpentine  descends  all  into  the  stump  in  a  year's  time,  which  is  then  split 
in  pieces  in  order  for  the  kiln.  But  here  the  sun  fries  out  the  turpentine  in 
the  branches  of  the  tree,  when  the  leaves  are  dried,  and  hinders  it  from 
descending.  But,  on  the  feontrary,  those  who  burn  tar  of  lightwood  in  the 
common  way,  and  are  careful  about  it,  make  as  good  as  that  which  comes 
from  the  east  country,  nor  will  it  burn  the  cordage  more  than  that  does. 


136  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES 

Then  we  entered  upon  the  subject  of  hemp,  which  the  colonel  told  me  he 
never  could  raise  here  from  foreign  seed,  but  at  last  sowed  the  seed  of  wild 
hemp,  (which  is  very  common  in  the  upper  parts  of  the  country)  and  that 
came  up  very  thick.  That  he  sent  about  live  hundred  pounds  of  it  to  Eng- 
land, and  that  the  commissioners  of  the  navy,  after  a  fall  trial  of  it,  reported 
to  the  lords  of  the  admiralty,  that  it  was  equal  in  goodness  to  the  best  that 
comes  from  Riga.  I  told  him  if  our  hemp  were  never  so  good,  it  would  not 
be  worth  the  making  here,  even  though  they  should  continue  the  bounty. 
And  my  reason  was,  because  labour  is  not  more  than  two  pence  a  day  in 
the  east  country  where  they  produce  hemp,  and  here  we  cannot  compute  it 
at  less  than  ten  pence,  which  being  five  times  as  much  as  their  labour,  and 
considering  besides,  that  our  freight  is  three  times  as  dear  as  theirs,  the  price 
that  will  make  them  rich  will  ruin  us,  as  I  have  found  by  woful  experience. 
Besides,  if  the  king,  who  must  have  the  refusal,  buys  our  hemp,  the  navy  is 
so  long  in  paying  both  the  price  and  the  bounty,  that  we  who  live  from  hand 
to  mouth  cannot  afford  to  wait  so  long  for  it.  And  then  our  good  friends, 
the  merchants,  load  it  with  so  many  charges,  that  they  run  away  with  great 
part  of  the  "profit  themselves.  Just  like  the  bald  eagle,  which  after  the  fish- 
ing hawk  has  been  at  great  pains  to  catch  a  fish,  pounces  upon  and  takes  it 
from  him.  Our  conversation  was  interrupted  by  a  summons  to  supper,  for 
the  ladies,  to  show  their  power,  had  by  this  time  brought  us  tamely  to  go  to 
bed  with  our  bellies  full,  though  we  both  at  first  declared  positively  against 
it.  So  very  pliable  a  thing  is  frail  man,  when  women  have  the  bending  of 
him. 

October  1st.  Our  ladies  overslept  themselves  this  morning,  so  that  we  did 
not  break  our  fast  till  ten.  We  drank  tea  made  of  the  leaves  of  ginseng, 
which  has  the  virtues  of  the  root  in  a  weaker  degree,  and  is  not  disagreeable. 
So  soon  as  we  could  force  our  inclinations  to  quit  the  ladies,  we  took  a  turn 
on  the  terrace  walk,  and  discoursed  upon  quite  a  new  subject.  The  colonel 
explained  to  me  the  difference  betwixt  the  galleons  and  the  fiota,  which  very 
few  people  know.  The  galleons,  it  seems,  are  the  ships  which  bring  the  trea- 
sure and  other  rich  merchandise  to  Carthagena  from  Portobel,  to  which 
place  it  is  brought  over  land,  from  Panama  and  Peru.  And  the  fiota  is  the 
squadron  that  brings  the  treasure,  &c,  from  Mexico  and  New  Spain,  which 
make  up  at  La  Vera  Cruz.  Both  these  squadrons  rendezvous  at  the  Ha- 
vanna,  from  hence  they  shoot  the  gulf  of  Florida,  in  their  return  to  Old 
Spain.  That  this  important  port  of  the  Havanna  is  very  poorly  fortified, 
and  worse  garrisoned  and  provided,  for  which  reason  it  may  be  easily  taken. 
Besides,  both  the  galleons  and  fiota,  being  confined  to  sail  through  the  gulf, 
might  be  intercepted  by  our  stationing  a  squadron  of  men  of  war  St  the  most 
convenient  of  the  Bahama  islands.  And  that  those  islands  are  of  vast  con- 
sequence for  that  purpose.  Pie  told  me  also  that  the  azogue  ships  are  they 
that  carry  quicksilver  to  Portobello  and  La  Vera  Cruz,  to  refine  the  silver, 
and  that,  in  Spanish,  azogue  signifies  quicksilver.  Then  my  friend  unrid- 
dled to  me  the  great  mystery,  why  we  have  endured  all  the  late  insolences 
of  the  Spaniards  so  tamely.  The  asiento  contract,  and  the  liberty  of  send- 
ing a  ship  every  year  to  the  Spanish  West  Indies,  make  it  very  necessary 
for  the  South  Sea  Company  to  have  effects  of  great  value  in  that  part  of  the 
world.  Now  these  being  always  in  the  power  of  the  Spaniards,  make  the 
directors  of  that  company  very  fearful  of  a  breach,  and  consequently  very 
generous  in  their  offers  to  the  ministry  to  prevent  it.  For  fear  these  worthy 
gentlemen  should  suffer,  the  English  squadron,  under  Admiral  Hosier,  lay 
idle  at  the  Bastimentos,  till  the  ships'  bottoms  were -eaten  out  by  the  worm,  and 
the  officers  and  men,  to  the  number  of  five  thousand,  died  like  rotten  sheep, 
without  being  suffered,  by  the  strictest  orders,  to  strike  one  stroke,  though 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  J  37 

they  might  have  taken  both  the  flota  and  galleons,  and  mede  themselves 
masters  of  the  Havanna  into  the  bargain,  if  they  had  not  been  chained  up 
from  doing  it.  All  this  moderation,  our  peaceable  ministry  showed  even  at 
a  time  when  the  Spaniards  were  furiously  attacking  Gibraltar,  and  taking  all 
the  English  ships  they  could,  both  in  Europe  and  America,  to  the  great  and 
everlasting  reproach  of  the  British  nation.  That  some  of  the  ministry,  be- 
ing tired  out  with  the  clamours  of  the  merchants,  declared  their  opinion  for 
war,  and  while  they  entertained  those  sentiments  they  pitched  upon  him, 
Col.  Spotswood,  to  be  governor  of  Jamaica,  that  by  his  skill  and  experience 
in  the  art  military,  they  might  be  the  better  able  to  execute  their  design  of 
taking  the  Havanna.  But  the  courage  of  these  worthy  patriots  soon  cooled, 
and  the  arguments  used  by  the  South  Sea  directors,  persuaded  them  once 
again  into  more  pacific  measures.  When  the  scheme  was  dropped,  his 
government  of  Jamaica  was  dropped  at  the  same  time,  and  then  general 
Hunter  was  judged  fit  enough  to  rule  that  island  in  time  of  peace.  After 
this  the  colonel  endeavoured  to  convince  me  that  he  came  fairly  by  his  place 
of  postmaster-general,  notwithstanding  the  report  of  some  evil  disposed 
persons  to  the  contrary.  The  case  was  this,  Mr.  Hamilton,  of  New  Jersey, 
who  had  formerly  had  that  post,  wrote  to  Col.  Spotswood,  in  England,  to 
favour  him  with  his  interest  to  get  it  restored  to  him.  But  the  colonel,  con- 
sidering wisely  that  charity  began  at  home;  instead  of  getting  the  place  for 
Hamilton,  secured  it  for  a  better  friend :  though,  as  he  tells  the  story,  that 
gentleman  was  absolutely  refused,  before  he  spoke  the  least  good  word  for 
himself. 

2d.  This  being  the  day  appointed  for  my  departure  from  hence,  I  packed 
up  my  effects  in  good  time  ;  but  the  ladies,  whose  dear  companies  we  were 
to  have  to  the  mines,  were  a  little  tedious  in  their  equipment.  However, 
we  made  a  shift  to  get  into  the  coach  by  ten  o'clock ;  but  little  master,  who 
is  under  no  government,  would  by  all  means  go  on  horseback.  Before  we 
set  out  I  gave  Mr.  Russel  the  trouble  of  distributing  a  pistole  among  the 
servants,  of  which  I  fancy  the  nurse  had  a  pretty  good  share,  being  no  small 
favourite.  We  drove  over  a  fine  road  to  the  mines,  which  lie  thirteen  mea- 
sured miles  from  the  Germanna,  each  mile  being  marked  distinctly  upon  the 
trees.  The  colonel  has  a  great  deal  of  land  in  his  mine  tract  exceedingly 
barren,  and  the  growth  of  trees  upon  it  is  hardly  big  enough  for  coaling. 
However,  the  treasure  under  ground  makes  amends,  and  renders  it  worthy 
to  be  his  lady's  jointure.  We  lighted  at  the  mines,  which  are  a  mile  nearer  to 
Germanna  than  the  furnace.  They  raise  abundance  of  ore  there,  great 
part  of  which  is  very  rich.  We  saw  his  engineer  blow  it  up  after  the  follow- 
ing manner.  He  drilled  a  hole  about  eighteen  inches  deep,  humouring  the 
situation  of  the  mine.  When  he  had  dried  it  with  a  rag  fastened  to  a  worm, 
he  charged  it  with  a  cartridge  containing  four  ounces  of  powder,  including 
the  priming.  Then  he  rammed  the  hole  up  with  soft  stone  to  the  very  mouth ; 
after  that  he  pierced  through  all  with  an  iron  called  a  primer,  which  is  taper 
and  ends  in  a  sharp  point.  Into  the  hole  the  primer  makes  the  priming  is 
put,  which  is  fired  by  a  paper  moistened  with  a  solution  of  saltpetre.  And 
this  burns  leisurely  enough,  it  seems,  to  give  time  for  the  persons  concerned 
to  retreat  out  of  harm's  way.  All  the  land  hereabouts  seems  paved  with 
iron  ore ;  so  that  there  seems  to  be  enough  to  feed  a  furnace  for  many  ages. 
From  hence  we  proceeded  to  the  furnace,  which  is  built  of  rough  stone, 
having  been  the  first  of  that  kind  erected  in  the  country.  It  had  not  blown 
for  several  moons,  the  colonel  having  taken  off  great  part  of  his  people  to 
carry  on  his  air  furnace  at  Massaponux.  Here  the  wmeel  that  carried  the 
bellows  was  no  more  than  twenty  feet  diameter ;  but  was  an  overshot  wheel 
that  went  with  little  water.     This  was  necessary  here,  because  water  is 


|38  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

something  scarce,  notwithstanding  it  is  supplied  by  two  streams,  one  of 
which  is  conveyed  one  thousand  and  nine  hundred  feet  through  wooden 
pipes,  and  the  other  sixty.  The  name  of  the  founder  employed  at  present 
is  one  Godfrey,  of  the  kingdom  of  Ireland,  whose  wages  is  three  shillings 
and  sixpence  per  ton  for  all  the  iron  he  runs,  and  his  provisions.  This  man 
told  me  that  the  best  wood  for  coaling  is  red  oak.  He  complained  that  the 
colonel  starves  his  works  out  of  whimsicalness  and  frugality,  endeavouring 
to  do  every  thing  with  his  own  people,  and  at  the  same  time  taking  them " 
off  upon  every  vagary  that  comes  into  his  head.  Here  the  coal  carts  dis- 
charge their  load  at  folding  doors,  made  at  the  bottom,  which  is  sooner  done, 
and  shatters  the  coal  less.  They  carry  no  more  than  one  hundred  and  ten 
bushels.  The  colonel  advised  me  by  all  means  to  have  the  coal  made  on  the 
same  side  the  river  with  the  furnace,  not  only  to  avoid  the  charge  of  boat- 
ing and  bags,  but  likewise  to  avoid  breaking  of  the  coals,  and  making  them 
less  fit  for  use.  Having  picked  the  bones  of  a  sirloin  of  beef,  we  took 
leave  of  the  ladies,  and  rode  together  about  five  miles,  where  the  roads  part- 
ed. The  colonel  took  that  to  Massaponux,  which  is  fifteen  miles  from  his 
furnace,  and  very  level,  and  I  that  to  Fredericksburg,  which  cannot  be  less 
than  twenty.  I  was  a  little  -benighted,  and  should  not  have  seen  my  way, 
if  the  lightning,  which  flashed  continually  in  my  face,  had  not  befriended  me. 
I  got  about  seven  o'clock  to  Col. 'Harry  Willis's,  a  little  moistened  with  the 
rain  ;  but  a  glass  of  good  wine  kept  my  pores  open,  and  prevented  all  rheums 
and  defluxions  for  that  time. 

3d.  I  was  obliged  to  rise  early  here,  that  I  might  not  starve  my  landlord, 
whose  constitution  requires  him  to  swallow  a  beef-steak  before  the  sun 
blesses  the  world  with  its  genial  rays.  However,  he  was  so  complaisant 
as  to  bear  the  gnawing  of  his  stomach,  till  eight  o'clock  for  my  sake.  Col. 
Waller,  after  a  score  of  loud  hems  to  clear  his  throat,  broke  his  fast  along 
with  us.  When  this  necessary  affair  was  despatched,  Col.  Willis  walked  me 
about  his  town  of  Fredericksburg.  It  is  pleasantly  situated  on  the  south 
shore  of  Rappahannock  river,  about  a  mile  below  the  falls.  Sloops  may 
come  up  and  lie  close  to  the  wharf,  within  thirty  yards  of  the  public  ware- 
houses, which  are  built  in  the  figure  of  a  cross.  Just  by  the  wharf  is  a 
quarry  of  white  stone  that  is  very  soft  in  the  ground,  and  hardens  in  the  air, 
appearing  to  be  as  fair  and  fine  grained  as  that  of  Portland.  Besides  that, 
there  are  several  other  quarries  in  the  river  bank,  within  the  limits  of  the 
town,  sufficient  to  build  a  large  city.  The  only  edifice  of  stone  yet  built  is 
the  prison ;  the  walls  of  which  are  strong  enough  to  hold  Jack  Sheppard, 
if  he  had  been  transported  thither.  Though  this  be  a  commodious  and 
beautiful  situation  for  a  town,  with  the  advantages-  of  a  navigable  river,  and 
wholesome  air,  yet  the  inhabitants  are  very  few.  Besides  Col.  Willis,  who  is 
the  top  man  of  the  place,  there  are  only  one  merchant,  a  tailor,  a  smith  and 
an  ordinary  keeper ;  though  I  must  not  forget  Mrs.  Levistone,  who  acts  here 
in  the  double  capacity  of  a  doctress  and  coffee  woman.  And  were  this  a 
populous  city,  she  is  qualified  to  exercise  two  other  callings.  It  is  said  the 
court-house  and  the  church  are  going  to  be  built  here,  and  then  both  religion 
and  justice  will  help  to  enlarge  the  place.  Two  miles  from  this  place  is  a 
spring  strongly  impregnated  with  alum,  and  so  is  the  earth  all  about  it. 
This  water  does  wonders  for  those  that  are  afflicted  with  a  dropsy.  And  on 
the  other  side  the  river,  in  King  George  county,  twelve  miles  from  hence,  is 
another  spring  of  strong  steel  water,  as  good  as  that  at  Tunbridge  Wells.  Not 
far  from  this  last  spring  are  England's  iron  mines,  called  so  from  the  chief  ma- 
nager of  them,  though  the  land  belongs  to  Mr.  Washington.  These  mines  are 
two  miles  from  the  furnace,  and  Mr.  Washington  raises  the  ore,  and  carts  it 
thither  for  twenty  shillings  the  ton  of  iron  that  it  yields.     The  furnace  is  built 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  139 

on  a  run,  which  discharges  its  waters  into  Potomac.  And  when  the  iron 
is  cast,  they  cart  it  about  six  miles  to  a  landing  on  that  river.  Besides  Mr. 
Washington  and  Mr.  England,  there  are  several  other  persons,  in  England, 
concerned  in  these  works.  Matters  are  very  well  managed  there,  and  no 
expense  is  spared  to  make  them  profitable,  which  is  not  the  case  in  the 
works  I  have  already  mentioned.  Mr.  England  can  neither  write  nor  read; 
but  without  those  helps,  is  so  well  skilled  in  iron  works,  that  he  does  not  only 
-carry  on  his  furnace,  but  has  likewise  the  chief  management  of  the  works 
at  Principia,  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  where  they  have  also  erected  a  forge 
and  make  very  good  bar  iron,  Col.  Willis  had  built  a  flue  to  try  all  sorts 
of  ore  in,  which  was  contrived  after  the  following  manner.  It  was  built  of 
stone  four  feet  square  with  an  iron  grate  fixed  in  the  middle  of  it  for  the 
fire  to  lie  upon.  '  It  was  open  at  the  bottom,  to  give  a  free  passage  to  the 
air  up  to  the  grate.  Above  the  grate  was  another  opening  that  carried  the 
smoke  into  a  chimney.  This  makes  a  draught  upward,  and  the  fire  ratify- 
ing the  air  below,  makes  another  draught  underneath,  which  causes  the 
fire  to  burn  very  fiercely,  and  melt  any  ore  in  the  crucibles  that  are  set 
upon  the  fire.  This  was  erected  by  a  mason  called  Taylor,  who  told  me 
he  built  the  furnace  at  Fredericksville,  and  came  in  for  that  purpose  at  three 
shillings  and  sixpence  a  day,  to  be  paid  him  from  the  time  he  left  his  house 
in  Gloucestershire,  to  the  time  he  returned  thither  again,  unless  he  chose 
rather  to  remain  in  Virginia  after  he  had  done  his  work.  It  happened  to  be 
court  day  here,  but  the  rain  hindered  all  but  the  most  quarrelsome  people 
from  coining.  The  colonel  brought  three  of  his  brother  justices  to  dine  with 
us,  namely,  John  Talifero,  major  Lightfoot,  and  captain  Green,  and  in  the 
evening  parson  Kenner  edified  us  with  his  company,  who  left  this  parish 
for  a  better,  without  any  regard  to  the  poor  souls  he  had  half  saved,  of  the 
flock  he  abandoned. 

4th.  The  sun  rising  very  bright,  invited  me  to  leave  this  infant  city; 
accordingly,  about  ten,  I  took  leave  of  my  hospitable  landlord,  and  persuaded 
parson  Kenner  to  be  my  guide  to  Massaponux,  lying  five  miles  off,  where  I 
had  agreed  to  meet  Col.  Spotswood.  We  arrived  there  about  twelve,  and 
found  it  a  very  pleasant  and  commodious  plantation.  The  colonel  received 
us  with  open  arms,  and  carried  us  directly  to  his  air  furnace,  which  is  a  very 
ingenious  and  profitable  contrivance.  The  use  of  it  is  to  melt  his  sow  iron, 
in  order  to  cast  it  into  sundry  utensils,  such  as  backs  for  chimneys,  andirons, 
fenders,  plates  for  hearths,  pots,  mortars,  rollers  for  gardeners,  skillets,  boxes 
for  cart  wheels;  and  many  other  things,  which,  one  with  another,  can  be 
afforded  at  twenty  shillings  a  ton,  and  delivered  at  people's  own  homes.  And, 
being  cast  from  the  sow  iron,  are  much  better  than  those  which  come  from 
England,  which  are  cast  immediately  from  the  ore  for  the  most  part.  Mr. 
Flowry  is  the  artist  that  directed  the  building  of  this  ingenious  structure, 
which  is  contrived  after  this  manner.  There  is  an  opening  about  a  foot 
square  for  the  fresh  air  to  pass  through  from  without.  This  leads  up  to  an 
iron  grate  that  holds  about  half  a  bushel  of  sea  coal,  and  is  about  six  feet 
higher  than  the  opening.  When  the  fire  is  kindled,  it  rarefies  the  air  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  make  a  very  strong  draught  from  without.  About  too  feet 
above  the  grate  is  a  hole  that  leads  into  a  kind  of  oven,  the  floor  of  which  is 
laid  shelving  towards  the  mouth.  In  the  middle  of  this  oven,  on  one  side,  is 
another  hole  that  leads  into  the  funnel  of  a  chimney,  about  forty  feet  high. 
The  smoke  mounts  up  this  way,  drawing  the  flame  after  it  with  so  much 
force,  that  in  less  than  an  hour  it  melts  the  sows  of  iron  that  are  thrust  to- 
wards the  upper  end  of  the  oven.  As  the  metal  melts  it  runs  towards  the 
mouth  into  a  hollow  place,  out  of  which  the  potter  lades  it  in  iron  ladles, 
in  order  to  pour  it  into  the  several  moulds  just  by.     The  mouth  of  the  oven 


140  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

is  stopped  close  with  a  moveable  stone  shutter,  which  he  removes  so  soon 
as  he  perceives,  through  the  peep  holes,  that  the  iron  is  melted.  The  inside 
of  the  oven  is  lined  with  soft  bricks,  made  of  Sturbridge  or  Windsor  clay, 
because  no  other  will  endure  the  intense  heat  of  the  fire.  And  over  the 
floor  of  the  oven  they  strew  sand  taken  from  the  land,  and  not  from  the 
water  side.  This  sand  will  melt  the  second  heat  here,  but  that  which  they 
use  in  England  will  bear  the  fire  four  or  five  times.  The  potter  is  also 
obliged  to  plaster  over  his  ladles  with  the  same  sand  moistened,  to  save* 
them  from  melting.  Here  are  two  of  these  air  furnaces  in  one  room,  that 
so  in  case  one  wants  repair,  the  other  may  work,  they  being  exactly  of  the 
same  structure.  The  chimneys  and  other  outside  work  of  this  building  are 
of  free-stone,  raised  near  a  mile  off,  on  the  colonel's  own  land.  And  were 
built  by  his  servant,  whose  name  is  Kerby,  a  very  complete  workman.  This 
man  disdains  to  do  any  thing  of  rough  work,  even  where  neat  is  not  required, 
lest  any  one  might  say  hereafter,  Kerby  did  it.  The  potter  was  so  com- 
plaisant as  to  show  me  the  whole  process,  for  which  I  paid  him  and  the  other 
workmen  my  respects  in  the  most  agreeable  way.  There  was  a  great  deal 
of  ingenuity  in  the  framing  of  the  moulds,  wherein  they  cast  the  several 
utensils,  but  without  breaking  them  to  pieces,  I  found  there  was  no  being  let 
into  that  secret.  The  flakes  of  iron  that  fall  at  the  mouth  of  the  oven  are 
called  geets,  which  are  melted  over  again.  The  colonel  told  me,  in  my  ear, 
that  Mr.  Robert  Gary,  in  England,  was  concerned  with  him,  both  in  this  and 
his  oilier  iron  works,  not  only  to  help  support  the  charge,  but  also  to  make 
friends  to  the  undertaking  at  home.  His  honour  has  settled  his  cousin,  Mr. 
Greame,  here  as  postmaster,  with  a  salary  of  sixty  pounds  a  year,  to  reward 
him  for  having  ruined  his  estate  while  he  was  absent.  Just  by  the  air  fur- 
nace stands  a  very  substantial  wharf,  close  to  which  any  vessel  may  ride  in 
safety.  After  satisfying  our  eyes  with  all  these  sights,  we  satisfied  our 
stomachs  with  a  sirloin  of  beef,  and  then  the  parson  and  I  took  leave  of  the 
colonel,  and  left  our  blessing  upon  all  his  works.  We  took  our  way  from 
thence  to  major  Woodford's,  seven  miles  off,  who  lives  upon  a  high  hill  that 
affords  an  extended  prospect.  On  which  account  it  is  dignified  with  the 
name  of  Windsor.  There  we  found  Rachel  Cocke,  who  stayed  with  her  sister 
some  time,  that  she  might  not  lose  the  use  of  her  tongue  in  this  lonely  place. 
We  were  received  graciously,  and  the  evening  was  spent  in  talking  and 
toping,  and  then  the  parson  and  I  were  conducted  to  the  same  apartment, 
the  house  being  not  yet  finished. 

5th.  The  parson  slept  very  peaceably,  and  gave  me  no  disturbance,  so  I 
rose  fresh  in  the  morning,  and  did  credit  to  the  air  by  eating  a  hearty  break- 
fast. Then  major  Woodford  carried  me  to  the  house  where  he  cuts  tobacco. 
He  manufactures  about  sixty  hogsheads  yearly,  for  which  he  gets  after  the 
rate  of  eleven  pence  a  pound,  and  pays  himself  liberally  for  his  trouble.  The 
tobacco  he  cuts  is  long  green,  which,  according  to  its  name,  bears  a  very 
long  leaf,  and  consequently  each  plant  is  heavier  than  common  sweet-scented 
or  Townsend  tobacco.  The  worst  of  it  is  the  veins  of  the  leaf  are  very  large, 
so  that  it  loses  its  weight  a  good  deal  by  stemming.  This  kind  of  tobacco 
is  much  the  fashion  in  these  parts,  and  Jonathan  Forward  (who  has  great 
interest  here)  gives  a  good  price  for  it.  This  sort  the  major  cuts  up,  and 
has  a  man  that  performs  it  very  handily.  The  tobacco  is  stemmed  clean  in 
the  first  place,  and  then  laid  straight  in  a  box,  and  pressed  down  hard  by  a 
press  that  goes  with  a  nut.  This  box  is  shoved  forward  towards  the  knife 
by  a  screw,  receiving  its  motion  from  a  treadle,  that  the  engineer  sets  a-going 
with  his  foot.  Each  motion  pushes  the  box  the  exact  length  which  the  to- 
bacco ought  to  be  of,  according  to  the  saffron  or  oblong  cut,  which  it  seems 
yields  one  penny  in  a  pound  more  at  London  than  the  square  cut,  though 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  J4J 

at  Bristol  they  are  both  of  equal  price.  The  man  strikes  down  the  knife 
once  at  every  motion  of  the  screw,  so  that  his  hand  and  foot  keep  exact 
pace  with  each  other.  After  the  tobacco  is  cut  in  this  manner,  it  is  sifted 
first  through  a  sand  riddle,  and  then  through  a  dust  riddle,  till  it  is  perfectly 
elean.  Then  it  is  put  into  a  tight  hogshead,  and  pressed  under  the  nut,  till 
it  weighs  about  a  thousand  net.  One  man  performs  all  the  work  after  the 
tobacco  is  stemmed,  so  that  the  charge  bears  no  proportion  to  the  profit. 
One  considerable  benefit  from  planting  long  green  tobacco  is,  that  it  is  much 
harder,  and  less  subject  to  fire  than  other  sweet  scented,  though  it  smells  not 
altogether  so  fragrant.  I  surprised  Mrs.  Woodford  in  her  housewifery  in  the 
meat-house,  at  which  she  blushed  as  if  it  had  been  a  sin.  We  all  walked  about 
a  mile  in  the  woods,  where  I  showed  them  several  useful  plants,  and  explained 
the  virtues  of  them.  This  exercise,  and  the  fine  air  we  breathed  in,  sharpened 
our  appetites  so  much  that  we  had  no  mercy  on  a  rib  of  beef  that  came  attend- 
ed with  several  other  good  things  at  dinner.  In  the  afternoon,  we  tempted  all 
the  family  to  go  along  with  us  to  major  Ben.  Robinson's,  who  lives  on  a  high  hill, 
called  Moon's  Mount,  about  five  miles  off.  On  the  road  we  came  to  an  eminence, 
from  whence  we  had  a  plain  v.ew  of  the  mountains,  which  seemed  to  be  no 
more  than  thirty  miles  from  us,  in  a  straight  line,  though,  to  go  by  the  road,  it 
was  near  double  that  distance.  The  sun  had  just  time  to  light  us  to  our  jour- 
ney's end,  and  the  major  received  us  with  his  usual  good  humour.  He  has  a 
very  industrious  wife,  who  has  kept  him  from  sinking  by  the  weight  of  gam- 
ing and  idleness.  But  he  is  now  reformed  from  those  ruinous  qualities,  and 
by  the  help  of  a  clerk's  place,  in  a  quarrelsome  county,  will  soon  be  able  to 
clear  his  old  scores.  We  drank  exceeding  good  cider  here,  the  juice  of  the 
white  apple,  which  made  us  talkative  till  ten  o'clock,  and  then  I  was  conduct- 
ed to  a  bed-chamber,  where  there  was  neither  chair  nor  table ;  however,  I 
slept  sound,  and  waked  with  strong  tokens  of  health  in  the  morning. 

6th.  When  I  got  up  about  sunrise,  I  was  surprised  to  find  that  a  fog  had  cov- 
ered this  high  hill ;  but  there  is  a  marsh  on  the  other  side  the  river  that  sends 
its  filthy  exhalation  up  to  the  clouds.  On  the  borders  of  that  morass  lives 
Mr.  Lomax,  a  situation  fit  only  for  frogs  and  otters.  After  fortifying  myself 
with  toast  and  cider,  and  sweetening  my  lips  with  saluting  the  lady,  I  took 
leave,  and  the  two  majors  conducted  me  about  four  miles  on  my  way,  as  far 
as  the  church.  After  that,  Ben.  Robinson  ordered  his  East  Indian  to  conduct 
me  to  Col.  Martin's.  In  about  ten  miles,  we  reached  Caroline  court-house, 
where  Col.  Armstead  and  Col.  Will.  Beverley,  have  each  of  them  erected  an 
ordinary,  well  supplied  with  wine  and  other  polite  liquors,  for  the  worshipful 
bench.  Besides  these,  there  is  a  rum  ordinary  for  persons  of  a  more  vulgar 
taste.  Such  liberal  supplies  of  strong  drink  often  make  Justice  nod,  and  drop 
the  scales  out  of  her  hands.  Eight  miles  beyond  the  ordinary,  I  arrived  at 
Col.  Martin's,  who  received  me  with  more  gravity  than  I  expected.  But, 
upon  inquiry,  his  lady  was  sick,  which  had  lengthened  his  face  and  gave  him 
a  very  mournful  air.  I  found  him  in  his  night-cap  and  banian,  which  is  his 
ordinary  dress  in  that  retired  part  of  the  country.  Poorer  land  I  never  saw 
than  what  he  lives  upon ;  but  the  wholesomeness  of  the  air,  and  the  good- 
ness of  the  roads,  make  some  amends.  In  a  clear  day  the  mountains  may 
be  seen  from  hence,  which  is,  in  truth,  the  only  rarity  of  the  place.  At  my 
first  arrival,  the  colonel  saluted  me  with  a  glass  of  good  Canary,  and  soon  after 
filled  my  belly  with  good  mutton  and  cauliflowers.  Two  people  were  as 
indifferent  company  as  a  man  and  his  wife,  without  a  little  inspiration  from 
the  bottle ;  and  then  we  were  forced  to  go  to  the  kingdom  of  Ireland,  to  help 
out  our  conversation.  There,  it  seems,  the  colonel  had  an  elder  brother,  a  phy- 
sician, who  threatens  him  with  an  estate  some  time  or  another ;  though  pos- 
sibly it  might  come  to  him  sooner  if  the  succession  depended  on  the  death  of 

T 


]42  PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES. 

one  of  his  patients.  By  eight  o'clock  at  night  we  had  no  more  to  say,  and  I 
gaped  wide  as  a  signal  for  retiring,  whereupon  I  was  conducted  to  a  clean 
lodging,  where  I  would  have  been  glad  to  exchange  one  of  the  beds  for  a 
chimney. 

7th.  This  morning  Mrs.  Martin  was  worse,  so  that  there  were  no  hopes  of 
seeing  how  much  she  was  altered.  Nor  was  this  all,  but  the  indisposition  of 
his  consort  made  the  colonel  intolerably  grave  and  thoughtful.  I  prudently  ate 
a  meat  breakfast,  to  give  me  spirits  for  a  long  journey,  and  a  long  fast.  My 
landlord  was  so  good  as  to  send  his  servant  along  with  me,  to  guide  me 
through  all  the  turnings  of  a  difficult  way.  In  about  four  miles  we  crossed 
Mattaponi  river  at  Norman's  ford,  and  then  slanted  down  to  King  William 
county  road.  We  kept  along  that  for  about  twelve  miles,  as  far  as  the  new 
brick  church.  After  that  I  took  a  blind  path,  that  carried  me  to  several  of 
Col.  Jones's  quarters,  which  border  upon  my  own.  The  colonel's  overseers 
were  all  abroad,  which  made  me  fearful  I  should  find  mine  as  idle  as  they. 
But  I  was  mistaken,  for  when  I  came  to  Gravel  Hall,  the  first  of  my  planta- 
tions in  King  William,  I  found  William  Snead  (that  looks  after  three  of  them) 
very  honestly  about  his  business.  I  had  the  pleasure  to  see  my  people  all 
well,  and  my  business  in  good  forwardness.  I  visited  all  the  five  quarters  on 
that  side,  which  spent  so  much  of  my  time,  that  I  had  no  leisure  to  see  any  of 
those  on  the  other  side  the  river ;  though  I  discoursed  Thomas  Tinsley, 
one  of  the  overseers,  who  informed  me  how  matters  went.  In  the  evening 
Tinsley  conducted  me  to  Mrs.  Sym's  house,  where  I  intended  to  take  up  my 
quarters.  This  lady,  at  first  suspecting  I  was  some  lover,  put  on  a  gravity 
that  becomes  a  weed ;  but  so  soon  as  she  learned  who  I  was,  brightened  up 
into  an  unusual  cheerfulness  and  serenity.  She  was  a  portly,  handsome  dame, 
of  the  family  of  Esau,  and  seemed  not  to  pine  too  much  for  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band, who  was  of  the  family  of  the  Saracens.  He  left  a  son  by  her,  who  has  all 
the  strong  features  of  his  sire,  not  softened  in  the  least  by  any  of  hers,  so  that  the 
most  malicious  of  her  neighbours  cannot  bring  his  legitimacy  in  question,  not 
even  the  parson's  wife,  whose  unruly  tongue,  they  say,  does  not  spare  even  the 
reverend  doctor,  her  husband.  This  widow  is  a  person  of  a  lively  and  cheer- 
ful conversation,  with  much  less  reserve  than  most  of  her  countrywomen. 
It  becomes  her  very  well,  and  sets  off  her  other  agreeable  qualities  to  advan- 
tage. We  tossed  off  a  bottle  of  honest  Port,  which  we  relished  with  a  broil- 
ed chicken.  At  nine  I  retired  to  my  devotions,  and  then  slept  so  sound  that 
fancy  itself  was  stupified,  else  I  should  have  dreamed  of  my  most  obliging 
landlady. 

8th.  I  moistened  my  clay  with  a  quart  of  milk  and  tea,  which  I  found  alto- 
gether as  great  a  help  to  discourse  as  the  juice  of  the  grape.  The  courte- 
ous widow  invited  me  to  rest  myself  there  that  good  day,  and  go  to  church 
with  her,  but  I  excused  myself,  by  telling  her  she  would  certainly  spoil  my 
devotion.  Then  she  civilly  entreated  me  to  make  her  house  my  home  when- 
ever I  visited  my  plantations,  which  made  me  bow  low,  and  thank  her  very 
kindly.  From  thence  I  crossed  over  to  Shaccoe's,  and  took  Thomas  Tins- 
ley  for  my  guide,  finding  the  distance  about  fifteen  miles.  I  found  every 
body  well  at  the  Falls,  blessed  be  God,  though  the  bloody  flux  raged  pret- 
ty much  in  the  neighbourhood.  Mr.  Booker  had  received  a  letter  the  day 
before  from  Mrs.  Byrd,  giving  an  account  of  great  desolation  made  in  our 
neighbourhood,  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Lightfoot,  Mrs.  Soan,  Capt.  Gerald  and 
Col.  Henry  Harrison.  Finding  the  flux  had  been  so  fatal,  I  desired  Mr. 
Booker  to  make  use  of  the  following  remedy,  in  case  it  should  come  amongst 
my  people.  To  let  them  blood  immediately  about  eight  ounces;  the 
next  day  to  give  them  a  dose  of  Indian  physic,  and  to  repeat  the  vomit 
again  the  day  following,  unless  the  symptoms  abated.    In  the  mean  time, 


PROGRESS  TO  THE  MINES.  J43 

they  should  eat  nothing  but  chicken  broth,  and  poached  eggs,  and  drink 
nothing  but  a  quarter  of  a  pint  of  milk  boiled  with  a  quart  of  water,  and 
medicated  with  a  little  mullein  root,  or  that  of  the  prickly  pear,  to  restore  the 
mucus  of  the  bowels,  and  heal  the  excoriation.  At  the  same  time,  I  order- 
ed him  to  communicate  this  method  to  all  the  poor  neighbours,  and  especial- 
ly to  my  overseers,  with  strict  orders  to  use  it  on  the  first  appearance  of  that 
distemper,  because  in  that,  and  all  other  sharp  diseases,  delays  are  very 
dangerous.  I  also  instructed  Mr.  Booker  in  the  way  I  had  learned  of  blow- 
ing up  the  rocks,  which  were  now  drilled  pretty  full  of  holes,  and  he  pro- 
mised to  put  it  in  execution.  After  discoursing  seriously  with  the  father 
about  my  affairs,  I  joked  with  the  daughter  in  the  evening,  and  about  eight 
retired  to  my  castle,  and  recollected  all  the  follies  of  the  day,  the  little  I 
had  learned,  and  the  still  less  good  I  had  done. 

9th.  My  long  absence  made  me  long  for  the  domestic  delights  of  my  own 
family,  for  the  smiles  of  an  affectionate  wife,  and  the  prattle  of  my  inno- 
cent children.  As  soon  as  I  sallied  out  of  my  castle,  I  understood  that 
Col.  Carter's  Sam  was  come,  by  his  master's  leave,  to  show  my  people  how  to 
blow  up  the  rocks  in  the  canal.  He  pretended  to  great  skill  in  that  matter, 
but  performed  very  little,  which  however  might  be  the  effect  of  idleness 
rather  than  ignorance.  He  came  upon  one  of  my  horses,  which  he  tied  to  a 
tree  at  Shacco's,  where  the  poor  animal  kept  a  fast  of  a  night  and  a  day. 
Though  this  fellow  worked  very  little  at  the  rocks,  yet  my  man,  Argalus,  stole 
his  trade,  and  performed  as  well  as  he.  For  this  good  turn,  I  ordered  Mr. 
Samuel  half  a  pistole,  all  which  he  laid  out  with  a  New  England  man  for 
rum,  and  made  my  weaver  and  spinning  woman,  who  has  the  happiness 
to  be  called  his  wife,  exceedingly  drunk.  To  punish  the  varlet  for  all  these 
pranks,  I  ordered  him  to  be  banished  from  thence  for  ever,  under  the  penalty 
of  being  whipped  home,  from  constable  to  constable,  if  he  presumed  to 
come  again.  I  left  my  memoranda  with  Mr.  Booker,  of  every  thing  I  or- 
dered to  be  done,  and  mounted  my  horse  about  ten,  and  in  little  more  reach- 
ed Bermuda  Hundred,  and  crossed  over  to  Col.  Carter's.  He,  like  an  indus- 
trious person,  was  gone  to  oversee  his  overseers  at  North  Wales,  but  his 
lady  was  at  home,  and  kept  me  till  supper  time  before  we  went  to  dinner. 
As  soon  as  I  had  done  justice  to  my  stomach,  I  made  my  honours  to  the 
good  humoured  little  fairy,  and  made  the  best  of  my  way  home,  where  I  had 
the  great  satisfaction  to  find  all  that  was  dearest  to  me  in  good  health,  nor 
had  any  disaster  happened  in  the  family  since  I  went  away.  Some  of  the 
neighbours  had  worm  fevers,  with  all  the  symptoms  of  the  bloody  flux;  but, 
blessed  be  God !  their  distempers  gave  way  to  proper  remedies. 


CONTENTS, 


PAGE 

Editor's  Preface, iii 

History  of  the  Dividing  Line,' 1 

Appendix,           -         - ...      -         -         -        -        -        -         -         -         -  94 

A  Journey  to  the  Land  of  Eden, 103 

A  Progress  to  the  Mines,             123 


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£ 


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